Pirates Prospect Update: Konnor Griffin, Termarr Johnson, Bubba Chandler

Week two of Minor League Baseball is complete, and the Pirates' organization had some very significant players perform well. Three of the team's top four prospects, per MLB Pipeline, were the most notable performers.

Down in Bradenton, Konnor Griffin led the charge, having a great week and displaying each tool he has. Last week, Griffin collected six hits across 19 at-bats. Half of his hits went for extra bases, accounting for one of each varietal. He also drove in six runs and stole three bases. The metrics below the surface were even more impressive.

Griffin's triple was his most notable moment; he sprinted from home to third in 11.44 seconds, which would rank as the fastest triple by a right-handed hitter in major league baseball in 2025. He also had a single that was 114.8 mph off that bat, a rocket that would have ranked 12th in the MLB this season. Oh, and if that was not impressive enough, his first professional home run was a go-ahead two run shot to left in the eighth inning.

Braylon Bishop is another prospect in Bradenton to keep an eye on. Last week, he went 6-for-15 at the plate, collecting a double and driving in four runs. Bishop stole two bases and showed some solid plate discipline, walking five times and striking out just four times. He is not ranked in the top 30, but that could change, as he is 21 years old and was an overslot pick in 2021. Some even believe he was a top 100 prospect in that draft.

Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin shows all tools with the Bradenton Marauders; Termarr Johnson puts together strong week with the Altoona Curve.

Termarr Johnson, the Pirates' fourth-ranked prospect, put together a strong week at the plate, collecting six singles and a home run in 21 at-bats. He also drove in five runs, stole two bases, and walked four times.

Johnson is batting .310 to open up the season with a 155 wRC+ and an OPS of .860. At just 20 years old, it is unlikely that he makes it up to Pittsburgh in 2025, but if he stays hot, he could definitely be in consideration to make his debut late in the season.

Hunter Barco and Anthony Solometo led the pitching staff in Altoona once again this week. Both come in respectively at seven and 14 in the organization. Barco tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five. Solometo threw five innings and gave up just one hit, one earned run, and a walk, while striking out five. The two southpaws in the top 30 have given up a combined one earned run in Double-A, which could be very notable moving forward.

Bubba Chandler throws two solid outings, making his case to join the Pirates sooner rather than later.

Bubba Chandler, the Pirates' top-ranked prospect, was given two starts this week and truly made the most of them. Combining them, Chandler tossed eight innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, and two walks, adding 14 strikeouts. His best was his first outing of the week, in which he pitched four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.

Chandler could very well join the Pirates pitching staff this summer, maybe even as early as mid-May (we know, we know, service time manipulation). His 1.69 ERA, 15.19 K/9, and 0.84 WHIP could definitely be an upgrade to the team. He is already a Rookie of the Year award favorite, so maybe he could spark this major league team that is really struggling right now.