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It's easy to forget that Konnor Griffin is still a teenager, given all the hype around him and the fact that he clobbered minor-league pitching to the tune of a .333/.415/.527 batting line (165 wRC+) across three stops in his age-18 season in 2025.
Still, it's worth remembering that he's only 19 years old and has drawn less than 100 total plate appearances at Double-A. It's not impossible to envision him making the case for a spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates' Opening Day roster with a monstrous spring training performance, but expectations probably should be tempered a bit.
In fact, historical precedent suggests that fans may need to exercise a little patience before the best version of Griffin shows face in Pittsburgh.
If this is what Konnor Griffin's RC season would look like, would you take it?
— ForTheCity_412 (@JimStamm22) February 16, 2026
OPS: .722
WAR: 0.9
OPS+: 102
AVG: .254
HR: 20
RBI: 80
OBP: .294
SB: 30
SLG%: .428
You should. Because this is Bobby Witt's RC year. KG is going to be special, but balance your expectations.#Pirates
Konnor Griffin deserves patience at the start of his MLB career
Bobby Witt Jr. entered his rookie campaign in 2022 as the consensus No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, much like Griffin is right now. He turned in a decent performance, hitting 20 homers with 30 steals, though his .722 OPS and 98 wRC+ left a lot to be desired.
Since then, the Royals' star shortstop has been one of the most valuable players in all of baseball. Over the past three seasons, he's finished top-seven in MVP voting each time while earning an All-Star nod, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger in both 2024 and 2025. His 24.4 fWAR ranks second to only Aaron Judge in that time.
And Witt isn't the only such example of this phenomenon. Mike Trout famously struggled during his initial cup of coffee in the majors, hitting just .220/.281/.390 (87 wRC+) with five home runs and four steals in 40 games. Then, he turned around and produced one of the greatest primes in baseball history, slashing .303/.415/.586 (175 wRC+) with 363 homers and 202 steals over the next 12 seasons en route to three MVP awards and 84.4 bWAR.
Now, comparing Griffin to Witt and Trout — two of the best MLB players of the 21st century — before he even makes his MLB debut isn't wise. As hyped up as he is, asking a teenager to replicate the impact of two modern superstars is a fool's errand at best. Let's give the kid some time to forge his own legacy.
But it is a good reminder that even the best can't-miss prospects sometimes need a little time to acclimate to The Show. Not everyone can arrive and just start dominating like Paul Skenes did, after all.