For young Konnor Griffin, MLB Draft night could not have gone much better

First things first: Jackson Prep baseball phenom Konnor Griffin, 18 years young, will become approximately $7 million richer when he signs a Major League contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates one day soon.

The Pirates made Griffin, the national high school player of the year, the ninth pick of Sunday night’s MLB Draft about 55 minutes into the proceedings. It might have seemed more like three hours to those in attendance at a draft watch party at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. As the first eight drafted players, all college players, were announced, the tension mounted among the scores of Griffin’s family, friends, teammates and classmates in attendance. Konnor Griffin, dressed in a dapper grey suit, clasped and unclasped his hands while seemingly staring a hole through the TV screen. Kevin Griffin, his father, kept a stoic face, but his legs twitched, belying his nerves. Dendy Hogan, Konnor’s girlfriend, silently prayed.

Then at 6:55 p.m. came the news: The Pirates had picked Konnor Griffin, and the crowd thundered its approval in a startling, prolonged explosion of noise. Immediately, Konnor and Kevin Griffin stood and embraced. Behind them, Griffin’s Jackson Prep teammates hooted, hollered and high-fived, several in tears.

“I saw my name, but I couldn’t hear a word,” Konnor said, minutes later. “We’re recording it at home. I’ll hear it later.”

In the several minutes between virtually every earlier pick, the Griffin family retreated to a more private room for phone calls with agent, Joey Devine of Excel Sports. Sources told this reporter the Griffins turned down an offer from a team that drafted several notches above the Pirates because that team wanted him to sign for far less money than the slot value. Behind-the-scenes negotiation is common before and during the draft.

In the end, everyone in the building was thrilled. Griffin, as predicted, was the first high school player picked. And he was picked by what appears to be an up-and-coming Pirates team that has improved its record dramatically in 2024. The Pirates boast several outstanding young players, including Paul Skenes, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, who has instantly become one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Despite Konnor Griffin’s enormous talent, his path likely will take longer than Skenes’ meteoric rise. Skenes, 22, pitched three years of college baseball, the third for national champion LSU. Griffin, recently turned 18, reclassified from the Class of 2025 to 2024, completing four years of high school in just three years in order to fast-track his baseball career. He will need at least a couple years — maybe more — of minor league seasoning to make it to The Show. He is expected to begin his pro career at Bradenton, Fla., playing for the Pirates’ Class A Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League. Griffin had signed to play college baseball at LSU, but Baton Rouge seems a highly unlikely destination now.

The best Mississippi comparison to Griffin in recent years is probably Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley, picked by the Braves in the first round (41st pick) as an 18-year-old in 2015. For the next four years Riley, who had signed to play college ball at Mississippi State, worked his way through the Braves’ farm system, step by step, until his promotion to the Major League team in 2019. He has since become a two-time National League All-Star.

The good news: Konnor Griffin already knows the lengthy task ahead — and relishes it.

“I’m ready to work,” he said. “I’m ready to do what it takes. This is the starting line. I’ve got a journey to the Big Leagues ahead of me.”

Sunday’s MLB Draft was a reward for many years of hard work, and nobody knows that better than Kevin Griffin, the father who pitched hundreds of hours of batting practice and hit countless ground balls and fly balls for his middle son to field. “That’s what makes this so special,” Kevin Griffin. “I know how hard Konnor has worked.”

As Kevin Griffin talked to reporters, the TV above him flashed the news that former Madison Central star Braden Montgomery was the No. 12 draft pick of the Boston Red Sox and is expected to sign a contract for the slot value bonus of $5.5 million.

When a reporter pointed that out to Kevin Griffin, he responded, “That’s just awesome. What does that tell you about Mississippi baseball, and the quality of baseball in the Jackson metro area? Two of the first 12 picks are from right here. It’s a tired act when people around the nation downplay the quality of competition in Mississippi.”

It really is, and with the No. 15 pick, the Seattle Mariners chose Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. Surprisingly, State’s slugging outfielder Dakota Jordan, projected as a top 30 draft prospect, fell out of the first two rounds. The draft continues today with rounds 3-10. Rounds 11-20 will take place Tuesday.

Over the course of these three days, many dreams will be realized, others dashed. Konnor Griffin lived the first part of his dream Sunday night. He seems more than ready to pursue the second part sooner rather than later.

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