Konnor Griffin Named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year
EL Altoona Curve

Konnor Griffin Named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year

Published on September 22, 2025 under Eastern League (EL)
Altoona Curve News Release


CURVE, PA - Baseball America announced Monday that Konnor Griffin, the No. 1 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, has been named their Minor League Player of the Year for the 2025 season.

He is just the second Pirates Minor League player to ever win the award that was established in 1981, joining RHP Mike Bielecki, who earned the title in 1984. Griffin is the first Altoona Curve player to be named Player of the Year by Baseball America.

Griffin was drafted ninth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 out of Jackson Prep HS in Mississippi and was one of the best performers in professional baseball in 2025. Griffin ranked among all full season minor league players in runs scored (2nd, 117), stolen bases (T-8th, 65), hits (5th, 161), runs batted in (T-7th, 94), and batting average. (4th, .333).

His .333 batting average is the highest by a teenager in the full season Minor Leagues since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit .382 in 2018. Over the last 20 minor league seasons, he is the only player to finish a season with a .300 or better batting average, 20+ home runs, 60+ stolen bases, and 100+ runs scored.

Griffin also impressed many with his glove this year. He committed just seven errors in 89 games at shortstop and did not commit an error in his 15 games played in center field. There were only three teenage shortstops who played 75+ games this season that committed 10 or fewer errors.

He became the youngest player to ever suit up for the Curve when he made his Double-A debut on August 19 at just 19 years, three months, and 26 days old. Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata are the only other players in franchise history who played for the team before their 20th birthday.

Griffin's season began with the Bradenton Marauders where he batted .338 with 21 extra-base hits, 36 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 50 games. The 19-year-old shortstop joined the Greensboro Grasshoppers on June 10 where he played 51 games and batted .325 with 20 extra-base hits and 33 stolen bases and a .432 on-base percentage. He was the lone player in the minor leagues with at least 160 hits (161), 20-or-more home runs (21) and 60-or-more stolen bases (65) this season.

Griffin continued to shine at Double-A, batting .337 with a .960 OPS and 28 hits in 21 games played in the regular season. He reached base in 19-of-21 regular season games, with hits in 18 of them. In the postseason, Griffin batted .600 (6-for-10) with a double, three walks, and two RBI in three games played.

Griffin became just the fifth teenager to join the 20-home run, 40 stolen base club in the Minor Leagues, joining Andruw Jones (ATL, 1995), Alex Escobar (NYM, 1998), Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL, 2017) and Jackson Chourio (MIL, 2023). Of this group, he is the first drafted player to achieve the feat and stole the most bases (65).

Griffin is the tenth player in franchise history to play for the Curve while ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, first since Paul Skenes in 2023. Of the ten players in franchise who played for the Curve while ranked No. 1, Griffin is the third infielder, joining Neil Walker (2006) and Pedro Alvarez (2009).

For tickets and more information on the 2026 Altoona Curve, presented by Stuckey Automotive, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.

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