All eyes were on the 19-year-old first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates. For once, they weren’t trained on Konnor Griffin but instead another 6-foot-4 potential superstar.
Seth Hernandez, selected sixth overall in 2025 MLB Draft, started the Spring Breakout against the Detroit Tigers with a sizzle by firing a 102.4 mph elevated cutter on his first pitch that left top-10 prospect Max Clark muttering to himself.
Let's just say Max Clark was impressed by @Pirates top pitching prospect Seth Hernandez's 102.4 mph heater ???? pic.twitter.com/mCh9SZJLZ8
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 21, 2026
“Amped up or not, that’s legit stuff,” Clark said in a dugout interview with Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline. “I’ve been following Seth since high school, so I’ve been waiting for it. I was excited that he was going to start so I knew he’d be fired up. That first pitch at 102 did look a little bit like a beam of light, I’ll tell you that.”
The biggest beam came courtesy of a grand slam by 6-foot-7, 243-pound designated hitter Tony Blanco Jr., who sent a 2-2 fastball 411 feet to left field at a 106.6 mph exit velocity and a 39-degree launch angle in the Pirates’ 8-7 win Friday night at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.
The @Pirates' Tony Blanco Jr. DESTROYS a grand slam at Spring Breakout ????
106.6 mph | 411 ft | 39 degree launch angle
Just two 2026 Spring Training homers have had a longer hang time (6.6 seconds) pic.twitter.com/LtqhUiD2UY
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 21, 2026
Hernandez followed a pattern of Pirates pitchers providing memorable performances in the Spring Breakout. Against the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, Paul Skenes topped 100 mph on six of his first seven pitches and had two strikeouts, including one that dropped No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday to a knee. Last year, Bubba Chandler recorded four strikeouts in two innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
With the showcase exhibition featuring a handful of top-100 prospects, Hernandez broke protocol by signing autographs in a meet-and-greet session with fans before the game. And he couldn’t help but sneak a peek over his shoulder to find out what the radar gun had captured.
“I really don’t try to look back at the velo on the scoreboard, but everybody had a reaction so I gave it a little glance,” Hernandez said in an interview with Hannah Mears of SportsNet Pittsburgh. “There was a lot of adrenaline coming into this game. Max Clark is a super-talented player, so to be able to pitch against him and go right at him — I walked him, which kind of sucks — but other than that, it was great.”
Despite touching triple digits on five of his first six pitches, Hernandez walked Clark on a full-count sinker that was clocked at 102.2 mph. Hernandez committed a balk against Bryce Rainer, who also drew a walk, before striking out Jack Penney on an 82.1 mph curveball. Then Hernandez got Eduardo Valencia to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.
Hernandez showed off an advanced pitch mix with his 21 pitches (10 for strikes) by using a cutter, four-seam fastball, changeup, sinker and curveball. He topped triple digits 10 times, with half of those at 101 mph or faster and twice hitting 102 mph.
“That kid’s going to be a star for a lot of years,” Clark said.
That Hernandez overshadowed Griffin was a surprising storyline, as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts, a walk and a run scored. Before the exhibition, Pirates chairman Bob Nutting presented Griffin with the Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove Award he won at shortstop in his first full professional season.
Griffin and Hernandez are familiar with one another, as they were in the Class of 2025 and had played against each other in the summer circuit before Griffin reclassified and skipped his senior season at Jackson (Miss.) Prep so he could enter the MLB Draft early.
“He’s something special,” Griffin said of Hernandez while mic’d up for a half-inning at shortstop on SportsNet. “He’s going to be a good one for us. I hope he has a great year. He’s ready for it. He’s mature. I can’t wait to see what happens. … I’ve always known the name, so it’ll be cool to be on the same team now.”
Hernandez is ranked the Pirates’ No. 3 prospect, behind Griffin and Chandler, and No. 29 overall by MLB Pipeline in a stocked farm system that is ranked the game’s best by Baseball America. With a chance to start on such a stage, Hernandez was full of adrenaline.
“I knew coming into this game, the prospects on both sides, it was going to be a pretty hype game — and it was,” Hernandez told SportsNet Pittsburgh.
“Everybody showed up and showed out. It was awesome to be part of this event, especially to start the game was pretty special. …
“Obviously, we have a loaded farm system full of pitchers, so to be able to get drafted last year and come out and start this game was an honor and a privilege. I was blessed to be here.”