'It worked out great': Pirates sign top Draft pick Konnor Griffin
Alex Stumpf
@AlexJStumpfDuring one summer night in 2019, Brent Heavener and his wife went to watch a summer league game after hearing Konnor Griffin was on the team. Heavener is the baseball coach at Jackson Prep in Mississippi, and Griffin was set to join the team.
It didn¡¯t take long for Heavener to find Griffin: He was the kid towering over everyone else, who went yard that night.
¡°You get out of the car and it¡¯s like, ¡®Well, that¡¯s Konnor,¡¯¡± Heavener joked. ¡°He was always bigger than everyone.¡±
For four years, starting when Griffin was in eighth grade, Heavener got to coach Griffin, seeing him blossom from a talented teenager to one of the best in the country. Even if the height difference with his peers has evened out a bit, he was still head and shoulders among the high school field, being ranked as the top prep player in this year¡¯s amateur draft.
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On Wednesday, he officially became a pro, signing with the Pirates after he was selected ninth overall on July 14. According to a source, his bonus is for $6,532,025.
¡°It¡¯s a dream to sign your name on the contract and put a pro jersey on,¡± Griffin said during his introduction at PNC Park, donning his new white No. 24 Pirates jersey with his surname stitched on. ¡°Just super thankful for the people who helped me get here. It feels great. Super excited. Ready to get going. Ready to start my track to the big leagues.¡±
Griffin has been focused on that journey to the Majors ever since draft night, making it pretty clear that his desire was to go pro and not to Louisiana State University, where he had committed. He wanted to get started as soon as possible.
But he wouldn¡¯t have been able to go to PNC Park or be a Pirate had it not been for a decision he made years prior. Originally, Griffin was supposed to graduate high school 2025, making him part of next summer¡¯s draft class. Instead, he reclassified to graduate and start his career a year earlier.
¡°The first time we discussed it, it was like, ¡®Is this even possible? Can we realistically do this as a school?¡¯¡± Heavener said. ¡°Because there¡¯s a lot of moving parts when you decide to jump a grade.¡±
It turned out it was, but it took a lot of moving pieces. Griffin needed to take two English classes one year and two science classes another. He took classes over the summer, including a world history course with Heavener.
He also gave up basketball, knowing more time had to be dedicated to his schooling, baseball and the weight room if this was going to work. Right now, it seems safe to say it paid off.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here if I didn¡¯t reclass,¡± Griffin said. ¡°I think it was good for me. ¡ I think it pushed me to play against some tougher competition. I was able to face some adversity throughout the summers, which was good. I didn¡¯t want to go into pro ball, face my first cycle of adversity and not know what to do. I feel like I¡¯m prepared now for whatever baseball throws at me.
¡°Now I¡¯m able to be sitting here with a Pirates jersey on. It worked out great.¡±
As Griffin filled out his 6-foot-4, 215 lb. frame, his tools started to elevate to the next level. The most pronounced is his speed -- graded by MLB Pipeline as a 65 tool -- as evidenced by him steal 87 bases his senior year on 89 tries. (And one of those caught stealing's was trying to steal home as the catcher threw back to the pitcher.)
¡°He runs like a dang deer,¡± Heavener said. ¡°That second step, he¡¯s at max speed.¡±
Griffin isn¡¯t just a runner, though -- he has the potential to be a true five-tool player and stick at shortstop, though he could also move to the outfield and excel there down the road.
¡°He¡¯s an incredible athlete, honestly,¡± amateur scouting director Justin Horowitz said the night Griffin was drafted. ¡°A potential five-tool superstar at the highest level, with some of the biggest upside in the whole Draft.¡±
Now it¡¯s time to see how those tools translate to the pros.
¡°I¡¯m ready to push myself and just see what challenges are going to be in store,¡± Griffin said. ¡°Ready to attack those and just grow as a player. I think being around great athletes and great players can only help me grow as a player.¡±