Ben Cherington knew there would be a transition period for Konnor Griffin to adjust to the major leagues, so the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager acknowledged that he took a calculated risk by promoting baseball’s consensus top prospect to play in Friday’s home opener.
After the 19-year-old shortstop pressed at the plate in batting .171 and was reassigned to minor-league camp in the final week of spring training, the Pirates reversed course once he dominated at Triple-A Indianapolis by batting .438 (7 for 16) with three doubles, four runs scored, five walks, four strikeouts and a 1.196 OPS in his five games.
“I think you kind of bake that expectation in with most players, no matter how talented they are,” Cherington said. “There is a transition period in the major leagues. Part of the calculus of trying to call a player up is the conviction that they’re equipped to handle that, whatever comes with that. We have a very high belief with Konnor to do that. He’s going to respond that whatever challenges come his way and overcome them. We’ve seen him do that. He brings so much to the team every day in different ways. He can impact the game in different ways. Feel confident in saying he’s made the team better since he’s been here.”
Griffin made a dazzling debut with an RBI double to left-center in his first MLB plate appearance and scoring a run on Jared Triolo’s single, but he has since cooled off considerably. Griffin was 1 for 13 with four strikeouts and two walks for an .077 batting average and .404 OPS entering Tuesday’s game.
SportsNet Pittsburgh analyst Michael McKenry noted to TribLive that Ken Griffey Jr. also doubled in the first at-bat of his MLB debut as a 19-year-old in April 1989, only to go 0 for 18 before getting another hit. Griffey, of course, developed into a 13-time All-Star, 1997 American League MVP and first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Cherington said the Pirates looked at every position player who debuted as a 19- or 20-year-old over the past couple of decades for comparisons of what to expect from Griffin, who is considered a five-tool talent with the potential to be a can’t-miss superstar.
“We did look at all that and what those paths look like. None are exactly the same, obviously,” Cherington said. “And what you can see quickly from that is that cohort of players, they’re very talented players, so that part’s not surprising. Then it just really comes back to what we knew about Konnor as a human being, belief that whatever challenges come — and you know there’s going to be some at the major league level — that he’s just equipped to handle those and fight through it.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly is amazed with how Griffin handled the demands and fanfare of the national spotlight before and during his debut, especially with the way he’s scuffled since his first hit.
“To handle it the way that he did, for a 19-year-old was extremely impressive,” Kelly said. “We can sit here and talk about the offense. We know there are going to be speed bumps along the way. He’s going to adjust. He’s going to dominate that. I think the thing that has stood out to me is he’s been the same guy every single day.”
Griffin has played what Pirates manager Don Kelly called “immaculate” defense at shortstop, with two defensive runs saved in 36 innings over his first four games. The 6-foot-3, 222-pounder turned the Pirates’ first double play of the season and has some spectacular stops, both by diving deep in the hole and making a backhander up the middle.
“We know the defense is going to be there,” Cherington said. “We know the baserunning is going to be there. Just what he brings energy-wise, attitude-wise and as a teammate, that’s going to be there every day. Whenever he was going to get to the major leagues, there was going to be some offensive transition. We know that. Ultimately, it just felt like he was going to make the team better. That was how it landed.”
Despite an ESPN report that the Pirates and Griffin were discussing a contract extension worth $140 million over nine years, Cherington declined to discuss the particulars of negotiations, citing team policy. Cherington said such a deal requires a combination of the player being open and interested in signing long-term and the organization being aligned with a high level of belief and conviction.
“I do think some of those ingredients are in place with Konnor and so that would give me a level of hope, potentially,” Cherington said. “But we don’t have anything more to share right now.”