Photo provided by Matt Lynch
The Pittsburgh Pirates are only seven games into their 30-game Grapefruit League schedule, but there are several infielders off to hot starts early on this spring.
Top prospect Konnor Griffin is the talk of baseball. Fueled by a recent two-home run performance against the Boston Red Sox, Griffin’s name pops up everywhere you look, from local reporting to the national media.
In fact, Griffin is the betting favorite at the FanDuel sportsbook for National League Rookie of the Year (+300), even though the FanDuel research team likes Sal Stewart at +700.
The 19-year-old Griffin is one of the most interesting players to follow this spring. Prospects with his pedigree don’t come around very often, and the Pirates are seriously considering having Griffin start at shortstop on Opening Day against the Mets in New York on March 26.
Griffin is looking to become the first teenager to start on Opening Day since Hall of Famer Adrian Beltré suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers two days shy of his 20th birthday in 1999. No teenager has made his MLB debut on Opening Day since another Hall of Famer — Ken Griffey Jr. in 1989.
The chances of Griffin cracking the Opening Day roster seem to be improving with how he’s looked this spring. And despite not yet playing above Double-A, Griffin’s performance last season across three levels was impossible to ignore. If he’s able to show he can continue to look the part against big-league pitching the rest of spring, Pittsburgh will have no choice but to add him to the roster.
But in addition to Griffin, there are two other infielders who are off to hot starts this spring.
Nick Gonzales, Griffin’s main competition to start at shortstop on Opening Day, leads the Pirates with seven hits in four games. He’s batting .636 (7 for 11) with a double, two RBI a walk and four strikeouts.
It was a disappointing 2025 season for Gonzales, who had an extended stay on the injured list after fracturing his ankle after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins on Opening Day. The 2020 first-round draft pick hit a respectable .260 but had a lowly .661 OPS and only five home runs in 96 games.
If Griffin does end up making the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, Gonzales will likely be relegated to a bench role. But there’s another former first-round draft pick also pushing for a spot on the roster.
Like Gonzales, Nick Yorke is off to a strong start in the first week of Grapefruit League play. Yorke has been making consistent contact and has gotten rewarded with four hits — including a triple — in 11 at-bats. He’s driven in a run, scored three, walked once, stole a base and has yet to strikeout.
Yorke’s main position in his professional career has been second base but he offers plenty of versatility. Of the 36 appearances he’s made for the Pirates, 21 have come at second base, six have come at first, six in right field, two at third and one in left.
While Griffin will continue to dominate the headlines until the roster is finalized — and after — the decision whether or not to add him to the roster will impact the rest of their thinking. Regardless, general manager Ben Cherington and manager Don Kelly are surely pleased with the performances of three infielders on the 40-man roster.
Mentioned in this article: Konnor Griffin Nick Gonzales Nick Yorke Pittsburgh Pirates
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