The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 2024 first round draft pick Konnor Griffin to a $6,532,025 deal. The move was reported by several Pittsburgh media members, including Andrew Destin of the Post-Gazette.
Griffin was drafted by the Pirates with the ninth overall pick, as the first high school player off the board in the draft. He also might have the highest ceiling in this year’s draft class, featuring an assortment of plus-to-elite tools. He was the Gatorado National High School Player of the Year, and had a commitment to LSU, before the Pirates signed him to an over-slot deal.
The dream upside for Griffin would be a 30-30 player with either plus defense at shortstop or Gold Glove defense in center field. He’s an athlete, with a 70-grade run tool, leading to 85 stolen bases his senior year of high school. He has a chance for a 70-grade arm, capable of a plus fastball off the mound, though he’ll be developed as a hitter only. His power is a plus tool, with some optimistic scouts giving him 70-grade raw power. He’s got either 60 or 70 grade defense, depending on whether he’s playing shortstop or center field, respectively. Even if you scale back the optimism, Griffin has four plus tools to work with, along with elite speed.
Griffin’s downside is his hit tool. He’s got an average-at-best hit tool, due to timing issues from a longer swing. He showed improvements this spring, but the Pirates will need to further develop his bat to maximize all of his standout tools. Even without maximizing the hit tool, he’s got a power/speed/defense combo that could reach the big leagues as a starter.
In my post-draft prospect rankings, Griffin rated as the second best prospect in the Pirates’ system, slightly ahead of 2022 fourth overall pick Termarr Johnson. The Pirates will have opposite tasks with each prep first rounder. Johnson stands out for his hit tool, but has been developing power, while trying a more premium defensive position. Griffin will need to develop the hit tool in order to maximize his power and premium defensive abilities. I give Griffin the edge due to the defense.
The slot price for the ninth overall pick was $6,216,600. Griffin was the final player from the top ten rounds to sign, and received an over-slot bonus that put the Pirates $680,025 over their draft pool. This is $20,000 short of reaching the overage threshold to lose a future draft pick. Because they went over their bonus pool by less than 5%, they’ll be fined for the overage amount, adding an additional $510,019 to their overall draft spending.
The Draft Pick Signing Tracker has been updated with all of the details. The Pirates now have four players from picks 11-20 who are left unsigned, with a deadline of Thursday, July 1st at 5:00 PM EST to make their remaining signings.
