JUPITER, Fla. — Konnor Griffin, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, homered for the third time this spring in the first inning, and four pitchers combined for a one-hitter in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 6-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Griffin, ranked as ESPN’s top prospect, started at shortstop for the Pirates and hit a two-run shot over the left-center field fence off Kyle Leahy on the third pitch of the game to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead.
“I felt really comfortable,” Griffin told reporters after the game. “I’m really working on just being present, taking each game one game at a time. I’m enjoying where I’m at right now, but still got to continue to work and get ready to go tomorrow again.
Pirates starter Hunter Barco pitched three scoreless innings with three strikeouts, while Antwone Kelly, Khristian Curtis and Brandon Neeck also blanked the Cardinals in relief, allowing only a fifth-inning single to first baseman Yohel Pozo.
In all, Pirates pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts.
Griffin, who has a .214 batting average this spring, went deep twice against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
“Those at-bats that I’m getting out, I’m always taking something from it,” Griffin told reporters. “Whether it was a good take, I’m always trying to find the positives. I felt like there’s a lot of positives lately, and that’s the goal, to continue that, because that means just quality at-bats.”
The Pirates drafted Griffin in the first round in 2024. He reached Double-A last year, where he hit .337 with a .960 OPS in 21 games for Altoona.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.