BRADENTON, Fla. — The good-natured ribbing came from across the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse, as a teammate teased Konnor Griffin that he finally got a hit that stayed inside the ballpark.
Too bad it didn’t count.
After his first three hits of spring training were home runs — all with exit velocities of 100-plus mph — Griffin followed Jake Mangum’s RBI double with one of his own. It came on a bloop that dropped inside the right field line Tuesday at LECOM Park, with an exit velo of 71.9 mph.
The 19-year-old shortstop was surprised to learn that because it came in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team Colombia it doesn’t count in spring training statistics.
So, Griffin is still stuck with a .214/.267/.857 slash line. Looks like Griffin will have to continue searching for that elusive single.
That he could only laugh at the absurdity of it all is part of his allure. Baseball’s consensus No. 1 prospect is as humble as they come, which is becoming a common theme shared by those who come across Griffin.
Former Pirates Gold Glove outfielder Corey Dickerson, now the first base and outfield coach for the Tampa Bay Rays, met Griffin about five years ago when he moved to Jackson, Miss.
“I think everybody is starting to see that he’s just a humble human being. He doesn’t really need the lights to be shining on him to be great or to do great things,” Dickerson told TribLive. “He’s a humble kid but very confident. You have to have that confidence to be good anyway. I think it speaks to where he came from and who he is as a person. It’s hard not to root for those guys.”
Dickerson watched Griffin’s batting cage sessions during his final two seasons at Jackson Prep and later coached for rival Jackson Academy, so he’s had an up-close view of Griffin blossoming into the Gatorade national player of the year at Jackson Prep, an MLB first-round draft pick and minor league player of the year.
Asked whether he had any doubts about the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder, Dickerson was diplomatic about Griffin’s development. The main concern he heard from scouts was about playing private school baseball, but that was alleviated by the competition in travel ball. And, of course, everyone wondered whether his levers made his swing too long.
“You always worry about tall guys with long arms and how it will translate, especially with the velo,” Dickerson said. “But he’s a genetic freak. A lot of people want to be the next Konnor Griffin, but you don’t really understand how big and fast he is until you get next to him. He’s really abnormal.
“I didn’t really have much concern about him. He has other avenues to succeed. He can succeed at short; if he doesn’t, he can run it down in the outfield. If he can’t do that, he probably can pitch. He’s got it all. He’s just an athlete. Even the way he fields ground balls is athletic. He don’t try to do the normal showcase, gas-pedal fielding the ball. He kind of drops his back leg and fields through it, just like (Taylor) Walls, our shortstop, who’s awesome. They allow themselves to be athletic.”
Griffin has become one of the biggest storylines of spring training, with the possibility of becoming the first teenager to make an Opening Day roster since Adrian Beltre in 1999 capturing national attention. Five observations from spring training with the Pirates:
1. Finding a fifth starter: Speaking of Opening Day starters, one of the most cat-and-mouse games of every spring training hasn’t even been necessary to ask Pirates manager Don Kelly.
It’s a given that National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes is slated to start the opener at the New York Mets on March 26.
Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft appear to round out the rotation, which means the competition will come down to Jose Urquidy, Mike Clevinger and Carmen Mlodzinski for the final spot, with lefty Hunter Barco a dark horse candidate.
Urquidy and Clevinger have an advantage with proven track records as starters but both have been limited by Tommy John surgery (and other injuries) in recent years.
Urquidy has an inside edge. He was on the Houston Astros when Kelly was first base coach in 2019 and has a relationship with new pitching coach Bill Murphy. Urquidy, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract, gave up three runs in 1 1/3 innings in his first start but went three scoreless against Colombia.
“That’s my purpose, to go out there and throw innings, throw zeroes,” Urquidy said. “That’s part of my job, going six or seven innings so the rest of the game belongs to the bullpen.”
Clevinger showed an uptick in fastball velocity and got swing and miss with his changeup in his start Monday against the Rays, but command remains a concern.
“Feel like I’m in a good spot early in camp,” Clevinger said. “Need to limit some of those walks, but still finding lanes and figuring out this new strike zone a little bit.”
Mlodzinski is the wild card. He made the Opening Day rotation last year and struggled in nine starts, then started throwing the splitter more after being optioned to the minors. He’s capable of pitching in bulk relief or serving as a multi-inning opener.
“So, a full mix of guys fighting for a rotation spot but, overall, it’s been fun and competitive,” Mlodzinski said. “This year, compared to the other years I’ve been with this club, we’re definitely deeper and we definitely have guys who can go multiple innings, which is always nice in the bullpen. Having guys that can not only start but can go length for you, can do a bunch of different roles, I think it’s going to make it a little easier on the staff.”
2. Outfield alignment: The Pirates have the potential to have three All-Stars in the outfield, if center fielder Oneil Cruz can live up to his potential and join Bryan Reynolds in left and Ryan O’Hearn in right.
Of course, it also has the potential to be disastrous defensively.
Reynolds had minus-5 defensive runs saved in left field in 2024. Cruz had the third-lowest DRS (minus-14) in center field last season. And O’Hearn was minus-4 DRS in right last year.
The bigger battle is for the fourth outfielder spot.
Jake Mangum is the odds-on favorite after a solid rookie season as a 29-year-old with Tampa Bay. He’s batting .400 (6 for 15) with a 1.038 OPS through five games, has surplus speed on the bases and can play all three spots but doesn’t produce much power.
Jhostynxon Garcia has turned heads with a .538/.625/.769 slash line through six games, and has surprised the Pirates with his playmaking on defense. The 23-year-old, however, would benefit from playing every day so he’s likely to start in Triple-A.
Impressive as they are, it’s worth a reminder that spring training statistics should be taken with a grain of salt.
Last year, the darlings of Grapefruit League play were Ji Hwan Bae (.381) and Jack Suwinski (.375). Both made the Opening Day roster but were optioned in April.
3. Infield alignment: Brandon Lowe looks to be a lock at second base. First base should be shared by O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz, which leaves the left side of the infield open.
If Griffin wins the starting shortstop job, Jared Triolo is likely to play third base with Nick Gonzales as the utility infielder. If the Pirates decide to have Griffin open in the minors, Gonzales could play short.
The one to keep an eye on is Nick Yorke. He showed up to camp looking noticeably leaner and, after a couple cameos, is trying to stick in the majors for good. Yorke’s versatility helps, but Enmanuel Valdez and Davis Wendzel are providing competition.
4. Bullpen battles: While Kelly hasn’t been willing to name a closer, he has two solid candidates in righty Dennis Santana and lefty Gregory Soto, who has impressed teammates.
One will serve as the setup man while the other handles the ninth, possibly depending on matchups. Either way, that’s an upgrade over the oft-injured Colin Holderman.
The Pirates have several pitchers battling to be the bridge to the Dominican duo, with righties Justin Lawrence and Isaac Mattson and lefty Mason Montgomery the top candidates.
Whoever doesn’t win the final spot in the starting rotation will handle long relief, with Mlodzinski a favorite because of his success in the bullpen.
Finding a fireman is another issue. Yohan Ramirez handled that role late last season, but Lawrence might be perfect for it, given his history in high-leverage situations and how he embraces the pressure of entering games with inherited runners.
5. Designated space: You have to wonder what was going through Marcell Ozuna’s mind Tuesday amid reports that Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar received a 162-game suspension from MLB for a second PED violation.
The Atlanta Braves signed Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract in January 2025, only for the 2024 All-Star to be suspended 80 games for a failed PED test.
The Pirates signed Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million free-agent deal to replace Andrew McCutchen as their designated hitter. With Profar out, the Braves are now in need of a DH so McCutchen could be a potential match.