The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie superstar, Konnor Griffin, made meaningful strides in the team’s series against Milwaukee as he continues to find his footing in the Major Leagues.
Griffin has played in just 22 Major League games, but has been one of the most talked about players since his promotion. His debut of course made waves, as he had an RBI double in his first big league at-bat. From there though there was a lot of hit and miss from the Mississippi native. While he never looked completely lost at the plate, there have been stretches where Griffin clearly stood out as a teenager. In particular, he seemed to struggle against fast balls.
Against the San Diego Padres, Griffin would record his first multi-hit game and would repeat that feat twice against the Washington Nationals. Heading into the series against the Brewers Griffin was hitless in three straight games against the Texas Rangers.
On April 24, Griffin turned 20-years-old and was batting eighth against the NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers. This contest might as well have been Griffin’s coming out party. In game one against the Brewers, Griffin recored his first career homer in the third inning, with a towering opposite field shot. He wasn’t done there though, as he had a single and a steal in the fifth, before adding to his day with a two-run RBI single in the ninth. Griffin became just the third player in Pirates’ history to hit a home run on their birthday as he recorded his first ever three hit game.
In the second game against the Brewers, Griffin picked up where he left off, as he recorded two more hits. He would exit Sunday’s contest with zero hits in two at bats, and struck out twice. The rookie shortstop finished the series with five hits in ten plate appearances, with four of those hits coming off fastballs.
Griffin acknowledged the learning curve that comes with adjust to Major League pitchers and their velocity.
“Yeah, every time I step into the box, there’s going to be a good plan against me and the velo’s a little higher, the velo’s consistently higher than what I saw in the minors,” Griffin said. “So just trying to adjust to that and continue to be myself and continue to trust my work and my preparation and when I get in the box, just try to be a tough out.”
The Milwaukee series was a big stepping stone for Griffin. He has been plagued with inconsistent play at the plate to start his big league career, but he is only 22 games into that career. It’s not unusual for a rookie to struggle at the plate early in their career, especially when they debut as a teenager. With that being said, Griffin has certainly been making strides in the right direction. The home run he hit registered at 104.4 mph off the bat and soared 386 feet into right field, so he’s definitely finding his pop at the plate. Not to mention his vision has been decent, with a .286 OBP to show for it. He also has six steals on the season and has not been caught stealing once. Overall, we know Griffin is a five-tool player, and we’re starting to see each of those tools on display more with each contest he plays in.
Although Griffin only has a .224 batting average on the season, it does not tell the whole story. His .316 slugging percentage is encouraging and his .602 OPS is continuing to climb as well. If Griffin can continue to take these meaningful steps with each series, the Pirates will have a bonafide star in due time.
