The Pittsburgh Pirates opened last season with a pair of Gold Glove winners on the left side of the infield in shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and question marks on the right side.
This spring, their lineup could feature a pair of All-Stars in first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and second baseman Brandon Lowe but even more questions on the left side of the infield.
The most intriguing will be whether 19-year-old Konnor Griffin, baseball’s reigning minor league player of the year and the consensus top prospect, is ready to be their Opening Day shortstop.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Griffin, the No. 9 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, has drawn comparisons to Alex Rodriguez in terms of physique and Bobby Witt Jr. for his speed and style of play.
Griffin batted .333/.415/.527 with 23 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, 117 runs scored and 65 stolen bases across three levels in his first professional season. He also showed he could play defense at a high level, winning a Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove.
Griffin worked with new Pirates infield coach Chris Truby at the position last spring and spent time in Altoona with Curve bench coach Gary Green, a renowned infield instructor.
“It was pretty big,” Griffin said. “I put a lot of work in at short, starting in the offseason. Then it really picked up when I got to spring training, working with Truby every single day, getting my early work in. He believed in me, that I could be a shortstop full time. Once I started believing in myself, that I really could do it at the pro level, things kind of took off. I think I played like 90% of the games at short, so I got a lot of experience this year. That was the biggest thing — I needed experience. Once I was able to finish out my first season, it was pretty cool to see the stuff that I did.”
The offseason started with rumblings that the Pirates were planning to give Griffin every opportunity to win the starting shortstop job this spring, though general manager Ben Cherington has made it clear that their preference would be to give him more time for development.
“Konnor has had a remarkable first year-plus as a Pirate in the organization,” Cherington said last month at PiratesFest. “He’s met every single challenge that’s been put in front of him, arguably exceeded and gone even further than our expectations. He’s a really exciting, important part of that next wave of young, talented players that are going to help us win games in Pittsburgh.”
That’s where Cherington hedged on handing Griffin the starting shortstop job this spring. Of Griffin’s 122 games last season, only 21 came above the Class A level. He’s yet to face Triple-A pitching and could be slated to start at Indianapolis.
“It’s also important for us to remind each other that he’s 19 years old. He’s had (98) plate appearances in Double-A, so there’s a lot in front of him,” Cherington said. “Our job, in my opinion, is to do everything we possibly can to put him in the position to have the best, longest career possible in a way that helps the Pirates win as many games as possible. So that’s going to continue to guide us.
“But boy, we’re fortunate to have him in the organization. Obviously, you see what he did on the field from a performance standpoint. He’s getting a lot of attention from that. I can say, having gotten to know him and be around him, he’s just a remarkably mature young man who has a chance to be a leader in his own right. He sets an example for teammates, works his tail off and wants to be really good. He’s someone we want to have be in the Pirates for a long time.”
The offseason acquisitions of O’Hearn and Lowe addressed the desperate need to add pop to the batting order but also solidify one side of the infield while providing depth with the return of incumbent starters in second baseman Nick Gonzales and first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
O’Hearn, who signed a two-year, $29 million contract, batted .281/.366/.437 with 21 doubles, 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in a season split between Baltimore and San Diego, and started at designated hitter for the American League in the All-Star Game. O’Hearn and Horwitz are both left-handed hitters, so they could rotate at first base and DH against right-handed starting pitchers. O’Hearn also can play in the outfield.
Lowe, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade, batted .256/.307/.477 with 19 doubles, 31 homers and 83 RBIs last season and also has a 39-homer, 99-RBI season in 2021 on his resume. Lowe also can play first base and in the outfield, so versatility is another strength. But the Pirates said he will spend the majority of his time at second.
“I’ll take every glove I have,” Lowe said in December. “One thing I was taught in Tampa is if you can play anywhere, it keeps you in the lineup. That was the biggest thing, I want to be in the lineup for as many games as possible.
“Obviously, I would love to play 140 games at second base and a couple sprinkled in at DH and wherever else. Ultimately, it’s going to be whatever (manager Don Kelly) and Cherington want. I would love to be at second base. I’m ecstatic that they want that to be my sole focus. I’m doing everything this offseason to make sure that I come in with the best defensive mindset and everything else that I have going into the season.”
The key to the left side could be Jared Triolo, a 2024 NL Gold Glove winner and 2025 finalist as a utility infielder. If Griffin wins the starting shortstop job, it would allow Triolo to play third base. If not, Triolo and Gonzales could split time as the stopgap until Griffin makes his debut.
Triolo started 44 games at shortstop, 30 at third base, 12 at first base and 10 at second base last season — and even pitched an inning in relief. He played two innings in right field in 2024, and it’s possible that he could see some time in the outfield.
“It’s like every other year, but just staying ready at every position,” Triolo said at PiratesFest. “Coming into spring training available at all the infield spots and even some outfield. Feeling good everywhere.”
Gonzales started 84 games at second base and 12 at shortstop last year, which makes him a candidate to play on both sides of the bag this season. But it also explains why the Pirates are still exploring options on the left side of the infield, though their pursuit of slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez saw him sign with the NL Central rival Cincinnati Reds.
The Pirates also have been linked to trade talk involving third basemen Brett Baty and Mark Vientos of the New York Mets, Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies and Isaac Paredes of the Houston Astros.
Griffin could change that approach, if the Pirates believe he’s ready.
“When I get to spring training, I want to hit the ground running,” Griffin said. “There’s a lot of work to be done. I’ll continue to put that work in every single day. We’ll see what happens once spring training rolls around.”