BRADENTON, Fla. — Konnor Griffin is quick to say how cool it is to be an 18-year-old in big league camp at spring training, especially when reminded that he’s less than a year removed from high school.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2024 first-round pick is even quicker to remind about something more unbelievable: That he would still be a senior at Jackson Prep in Flowood, Miss., if he hadn’t reclassified last year to be eligible for the MLB Draft.

“I feel like all I’ve done in high school ball and all the summers playing for Team USA has led me to this moment,” Griffin told TribLive. “It just comes down to having confidence in yourself, believing in yourself. I’m just trying to take this moment and learn. I know there’s no pressure because I know I’m not competing for a spot in this spring training. I’m just here to learn and to try to do the best I can.

“It’s definitely different. I had to grow up a little bit, living on my own. It’s baseball, at the end of the day. I’m having fun doing it. But it is weird. I still keep up with my boys back home, keep up with their high school season so it’s a weird thing but it’s the journey that I chose and I’m glad I did.”

Griffin made the most of his first moment in Grapefruit League play. He recorded his first pro hit and the game-winning RBI in a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday at LECOM Park, looking every bit like the No. 9 overall pick and a top-100 prospect.

His chopper to right field scored Malcom Nunez to break a 1-1 tie. Griffin then advanced to third on a single to right by Abrahan Gutierrez and scored on a single by Termarr Johnson in a four-run seventh inning that showed a semblance of his five-tool talent.

“That’s an athletic human being right there, It’s really cool to see a guy get his first major league spring training hit,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who shook his head upon seeing Griffin’s birth year on the scoreboard. “I look up on the board and see 2006, and I’m like, ‘Geez. Wow, makes me feel old.’”

The same could be said for five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, who attended his first big league camp the year Griffin was born. Now 38, the Pirates designated hitter and franchise icon recognizes that the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Griffin doesn’t look — or play — like your typical teenager.

“Obviously, he has what you’re looking for from a physical standpoint but what separates the good from the really good are having to have that natural ability but also to have that work ethic behind it, to have the posture, the physical and mental makeup” McCutchen said. “He’s well-polished for being an 18-year-old. As long as he can continue to keep working, let the people inside that need to be let inside his circle and not letting too many in there, from the little bit I’ve seen, he’s impressive.”

Griffin, who turns 19 on April 24, gave a glimpse of his power with a 99.7-mph exit velocity on the chopper. He flashed his speed on the bases by going from first to third. Despite practicing exclusively at shortstop — aside from shagging flies during batting practice — Griffin made an effortless transition to center field and waved off left fielder Matt Gorski on a fly ball in the ninth inning.

The Pirates are giving Griffin a long look at shortstop, a position Griffin says he’s “never really been coached how to play.” He’s open to playing either position, especially considering the Pirates also drafted a defensive whiz in the second round last July in Wyatt Sanford, who was Griffin’s roommate in the Florida Complex League last summer.

“That’s the biggest thing: Just learning every day the ins and outs of it,” Griffin said of shortstop. “I feel like it’s coming along well. If they want to stick with me at short, that’s great. If they ever need me in the outfield I feel like I can do that, as well.”

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Griffin considers center field his more natural position because of his size and speed and penchant for chasing down fly balls and making diving catches. It’s where he played for Team USA and where some scouts project him to play professionally. So the Pirates had no reservations about replacing Ji Hwan Bae with Griffin in the sixth.

“You don’t see that real often and I think it speaks to his athleticism,” Shelton said. “That’s a true athlete, an athlete at that size. Where he ends up, ultimately that will be decided I think years down the road. Maybe he plays both. I mean, who knows? But that’s a really good-looking young athlete.”

Where the emphasis has been on Griffin’s youth and athleticism, he knows the concentration will be on his bat. It’s the one tool that came with a question mark, as scouts wondered whether Griffin would hit because his long levers led to an elongated swing.

Getting a hit off 25-year-old Travis Adams, who finished last season in Triple-A, was a good start. Griffin whiffed on an 85.6-mph slider low and away before connecting on a belt-high 94.5-mph fastball.

“It can be tough, especially with long arms,” Griffin said. “I can get cast away from my body sometimes. If you train it enough and practice enough, it can all work out. That’s what I’m doing.

“I really think it’s a timing thing. I’m trying to go from high school to pro pitching. It’s a completely different timing. I’m facing really good arms. I’ve got to get going early and move when the pitcher moves. That’s the mindset right now. They think the swing is in a good spot, just trying not to be long. I’ve got to be short and quick to the ball.”

Griffin expects his time with the Pirates this spring to be short and quick, knowing he’s likely to start the season at Low-A Bradenton. His locker mate is Termarr Johnson, and the 2022 first-round pick is showing Griffin the ropes the same way that Henry Davis, Ke’Bryan Hayes and McCutchen did for him two years ago.

“It’s pretty cool to see this guy learning and developing every single day,” Johnson said. “That’s the big mantra for us: Look out for the next guy coming up because he’s never done it before. Anything that you can do, you try to do that. … He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s got a great spirit and great energy. I’m excited for his development and everything he’s going to go through.”

Griffin is excited about spending time in the outfield with Oneil Cruz, another tall prospect who started at shortstop and switched to center field, and taking batting practice tips from McCutchen. And he’s still pinching himself about playing in a spring training game when he could still be in high school.

“It’s definitely wild,” Griffin said. “It doesn’t feel real yet but I’ve had a great three weeks of camp so far. These guys have been awesome. They’ve really taken me under their wing and shown me the ways of how to be a big leaguer.”