BRADENTON, Fla. — Konnor Griffin’s batting practice has become must-watch viewing, as the teenage sensation puts on an air show by hitting balls onto the metal roof of the batting cages at Pirate City.
The 19-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop offered a different display of power Wednesday, when he drilled his first dinger in live batting practice off left-hander Nick Dombkowski in big league camp.
At breakfast, Griffin and Dombkowski had discussed their “friendly battle.” Afterward, Dombkowski joked in the clubhouse that giving up a homer to baseball’s No. 1 prospect would make him Instagram famous.
“It was supposed to be a cutter up and in and I held onto it a little longer,” said Dombkowski, 27, who spent the majority of last season at Triple-A Indianapolis. “A cutter down and in and he got a good piece of it.”
Dombkowski had only positive things to say about Griffin, a 6-foot-4, 225-pounder who was the No. 9 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft and Baseball America’s minor league player of the year last season.
“He’s a great kid. Super humble. It’s nice to see a younger guy carry himself like that, for being such a big-time guy,” said Dombkowski, who played with Griffin while on a rehabilitation assignment at High-A Greensboro. “You’ve got to get the first one out of the way, so I might as well give it to somebody cool.”
Griffin has blasted bombs that landed on the roofs of the batting cages and clubhouse, but those came off the JUGS machine. This was his first homer of spring training while facing a pitcher.
“You can’t beat it. Real game speed, real stuff,” Griffin said. “It’s the closest we can get to a simulated game. It’s been great.”
The matchup proved beneficial for both Griffin and Dombkowski, who exchanged feedback on the at-bat.
“After every live, we’re always talking together, trying to figure out how we both could be better,” Griffin said. “He’s a really good pitcher. He had me in a good count to punch me out, and (he) just kind of left it more middle than he probably would have liked. Sometimes, it gets hitters out; sometimes the hitter will win the battle. It’s just friendly a battle, and we’re making each other better.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly has been impressed with how Griffin has made adjustments during live batting practice. After striking out against National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes in his first at-bat last week, Griffin roped a line drive to left field his next time up. Griffin went down swinging on three pitches against right-hander Bubba Chandler on Wednesday in a battle of top-15 prospects.
“He has been doing well. He’s been swinging the bat really well,” Kelly said. “He hits the ball really hard. For him to step in and have really good at-bats in live BPs has been really encouraging. … That’s the thing I’ve been really impressed with Konnor, is that ability at such a young age to be able to understand that and to understand the adjustments that need to be made, even against the guys that he’s facing. Even after today, he was talking about Bubba and how Bubba attacked him and how he would adjust the next time, try to. It’s really encouraging, the way he’s thinking about the game.”
It made for fun moments in the clubhouse. Dombkowski anticipated some good-natured ribbing from pitchers — “I’ll be getting stuff from the guys,” he said, “but it’s all good” — and Jared Jones responded by using his phone camera to ask what it was like to have Griffin take him deep.
Dombkowski took it all in stride, laughing at his locker.
“I’ve got to get him to the big leagues somehow.”