The inside story of how the Pirates landed Konnor Griffin in the MLB Draft
On the morning of the 2024 MLB Draft, those close to Konnor Griffin believed he would be selected by the Chicago White Sox.
Many teams were interested in the shortstop, rated the top high school prospect in a stacked draft class. Chicago was seen as the first in line.
"I thought the White Sox were going to take him at No. 5," said Griffin's agent, Joey Devine of Excel Sports Management. "I know [amateur scouting director] Mike Shirley and that front office really liked him and they scouted him really heavy."
Lurking four picks behind them were the Pirates.
The Pirates loved pretty much everything about Griffin - from his size to his tools to his makeup. But they feared he would be long gone by pick No. 9. And even if he weren't, they worried they might not be able to get him to sign.
Two years later, Griffin is a cornerstone of their future. He made his MLB debut in April and prior to his recent injuries looked like a budding superstar.
After worries he would never make it to Pittsburgh in the first place, Griffin recently signed the most lucrative contract in franchise history, which can keep him in a Pirates uniform until 2034.
None of this appeared to be on the horizon when Griffin woke up on the morning of July 14, 2024.
Here is the inside story of how the Pirates landed the best young position player in baseball, then convinced him there was nowhere else he would rather be than Pittsburgh.
Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin is introduced before making his MLB debut April 3, 2026, against the Orioles at PNC Park.(Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
Catching a falling star
While Devine and others close to him believed he was headed to the White Sox, Griffin kept an open mind heading into his draft day.
"I honestly had no idea," Griffin told the Post-Gazette. "I knew there were a few teams that, according to my agent, were going to go college-heavy. At the time, I knew the White Sox were interested and they were the closest to the top of the board. We had our eyes on them first."
Then he added: "The Pirates doing a Zoom call the night before had us thinking it might be them."
Griffin's draft profile offered a bit more risk than an established college talent. And the 2024 class was loaded with that. Three of the headliners - Travis Bazzana, Chase Burns and Nick Kurtz - are already MLB All-Stars. Former WPIAL standout JJ Wetherholt is in the running for Rookie of the Year.
For a while, it seemed as though the Cleveland Guardians were considering taking Griffin first overall, sending a herd of their front office to Mississippi to conduct a private workout.
The Guardians passed on Griffin at No. 1. None of the next three teams took him, either. Once the White Sox pivoted to a college arm, lefty Hagen Smith out of Arkansas, the Pirates realized they might be in business.
The Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals had kicked the tires on Griffin - St. Louis actually expressed interest in drafting him as a pitcher - but both teams went in another direction. The Los Angeles Angels, picking eighth, took a different middle infielder, Christian Moore.
On the morning of the 2024 MLB Draft, those close to Konnor Griffin believed he would be selected by the Chicago White Sox.(Associated Press)
The Pirates were on the clock - and their Zoom call with Griffin the night before had been a turning point in their courtship of the talented teenager.
MLB's draft process is a grind. Griffin had spoken with many teams throughout the weeks leading up to the draft. By the end, it's common, especially for high school prospects, to display fatigue or burnout. The Pirates noticed no such thing with Griffin.
"I just remember him being really locked in, high energy and composed in that moment," general manager Ben Cherington recalled. "There were other things that stood out, but that's what I remember most."
The call couldn't have gone better. Griffin made a strong final impression on a team that had been scouting him for years. The same could be said for the Pirates, who convinced Griffin they could help him hit his ceiling as a player.
"They did a phenomenal job of showing Konnor their development model that was specific to him," Devine said. "After that, he could see himself in a Pirates uniform."
But Devine's call to Cherington the next morning had a far different tone.
Each draft pick comes with its own projected value. Sometimes teams will draft a player they believe will sign below that value, with the hope to have more money to invest in later selections. Griffin's camp feared this could be part of Pittsburgh's strategy, and they weren't going to allow that to happen.
So Devine delivered a simple ultimatum to Cherington and the Pirates: Don't take Griffin if you aren't going to pay him what he's worth.
A ‘really good' feeling
Griffin's high school career is the stuff of lore back home in Mississippi.
He was a four-time state champion at Jackson Prep School. He was the Gatorade national baseball Player of the Year in 2024, following a senior campaign that included a .559 batting average, nine home runs and 85 stolen bases. Oh, and he had a 10-0 record and 0.72 ERA on the mound.
The Pirates had been following him through each step of the journey.
"He was different from most of the other guys that were older than him," Pirates area scout Darren Mazeroski said. "Just his size, athleticism, tools and ability - when he reclassified, it was kinda exciting because I felt like he was going to be available for us."
Mazeroski, the son of late Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski, began to build a relationship with Griffin and his family two years before the draft, and it grew stronger and stronger as the big day neared. The Griffins spoke to countless scouts and front-office members. Mazeroski stood out.
"Darren was one of those scouts who just about never missed a game that Konnor played at Jackson Prep," Griffin's father, Kevin, said. "He was always present."
Konnor Griffin had a 10-0 record and 0.72 ERA on the mound at Jackson Prep School in Mississippi.(Courtesy of Jackson Preparatory School)
The 2024 draft was a big one for Pittsburgh. During the prior November, Cherington hired Justin Horowitz - a young up-and-comer in the Boston Red Sox front office - as his director of amateur scouting. The No. 9 pick marked Horowitz's first opportunity to make an impact.
As the draft approached, the Pirates became more and more sold on Konnor Griffin.
"I remember after every conversation with Konnor and Konnor's family thinking, ‘Yeah, I feel really good about this kid,' " said Horowitz, who is now an assistant general manager for the Washington Nationals.
The Pirates did their homework on top prospects. A consensus formed around Griffin.
"There really was a strong cross section of very strong scouting sentiment, very strong belief from our performance and psychology group and a very strong conviction from our analysis group," Cherington said.
"It was in all forms. When you get that kind of conviction in all forms is when you feel most confident. More often than not, there's one group that's stronger than another. You're kinda trying to piece it all together.
"In his case, there really was strength across all of those groups."
In the end, that is what reinforced Cherington's ultimate decision.
As the week of the draft arrived, the Pirates weren't confident Griffin would make it to pick No. 9. Horowitz gave it less than a 50% chance.
Cherington might have been even less optimistic, but he felt there was a chance due to Konnor's background. He was a right-handed high school bat from rural Mississippi, an area not typically known for producing high-end talent.
When the eight teams ahead of them all passed on Griffin, Cherington and Co. were pumped.
Now, the Pirates had to decide if they were actually going to pick him.
Before going on the injured list this week, Konnor Griffin was hitting .276 with five home runs and 25 RBIs in 59 games.(Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
A grand-slam selection
In a key way, the MLB Draft is far different than its counterparts from the other major North American sports leagues. There are 20 rounds. Every team enters with a predetermined amount of money to sign their draft picks. Draft strategies often center around how that money is divided among the bunch.
Typically when a team locks in on its primary target, they attempt to discuss financial logistics with that player's agent ahead of draft day. Once a team understands what it will take to sign that player, it can move forward with its plan for the rest of the draft.
Cherington and the Pirates were in the complete opposite situation. They had no deal. They didn't know what it would take for Griffin to sign here.
Drafting him came with the risk of walking away empty-handed should he reject their offers and go play college ball instead. Devine said Griffin "had a very, very strong commitment to LSU" in his back pocket.
Added Kevin Griffin: "We basically said, ‘Don't take money out of Konnor's pocket if you're not willing to get there because we've got something down the line.' "
A few of the teams picking after the Pirates were interested in paying Griffin well above the slot value of the No. 9 pick. The Nationals, drafting 10th, were one. They told Griffin's family he "wasn't getting past them." The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers were eying him, too.
But the Pirates couldn't walk away - not after all the work they had done.
The ninth pick was valued at $6.22 million. They quickly had to decide if they would be able to exceed that with Griffin and still have enough money left over for their other 21 picks.
After the initial excitement when the Angels passed on Griffin, the energy within the draft room became intense as Cherington talked it over with Horowitz and his staff.
"I just recall the room being convicted that this was the player for us," Cherington said.
Horowitz and the scouts agreed Griffin was the best player available. He was their guy.
"They told us they were taking the player," Kevin Griffin said, "and that they'd figure out the money later."
Both parties cheered when Konnor's name was called, but there was plenty of work to be done.
Could the Pirates find middle ground with Griffin? Cherington admitted he wasn't totally sure.
The Pirates maintained clear communication with his camp, not only about the money but also how they planned to develop Griffin as a player. That, more than anything else, is what Cherington believes got the deal done.
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"There were no surprises," Cherington said. "We weren't pulling any fast ones. Everyone can do the math because everyone knows the pool. Everyone is looking at the other signings that come in, so everyone can kinda do the math. ... We spent more time talking about our plan, what it would be like for him as a Pirate."
On July 31, 17 days after picking him and one day before the deadline, the Pirates signed Griffin to a $6.53 million signing bonus - about $300,000 over the slot value for his selection.
"You look back on it now, and he obviously made the right decision," Devine said. "He's so dang happy. He loves that organization. He wanted to go to an organization who he felt he could help bring a championship to at the highest level. That's his goal."
He added: "I think they're just scratching the surface on what's to come."
Two years later, Griffin is a key piece of a franchise finally on the rise, a player whom the Pirates plan to build around for the next decade.
The 20-year-old shortstop was hitting .276 with five home runs and 25 RBIs in 59 games before going on the injured list this week. He's expected to be out until September with an injury to his finger, which he suffered while making another spectacular play in the field.
And when it came time to sign his latest contract with the Pirates - a nine-year, $140 million deal signed in April - Griffin showed very little hesitation. Pittsburgh is where he wants to be.
"It all happened really quick," he said. "It's been an awesome journey so far."
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