Conspiracy theories about athlete ages are not infrequent, though they have declined in popularity recently, and it is rare that they are applied to people from the United States. However, after the release of a concerning video by the Pittsburgh Pirates, a discussion must be had about Konnor Griffin, the prospect being called up to play his first MLB game in the team's home opener Friday against the Baltimore Orioles.
Griffin is the most highly touted prospect in baseball, a potential five-tool superstar who will naturally invite comparisons to Mike Trout. If he is a teenager, Griffin would be notable as the first teenage position player to play in an MLB game since Juan Soto—not too shabby a comparison. But is he really?
Working off the aforementioned video, the evidence that Konnor Griffin is 19 is as follows: The Pirates and presumably the United States government say so, for one thing. His name is spelled "Konnor," for another. Also he evidently cannot name any women other than his close relations.
Here is the evidence that Griffin is not 19: His favorite TV show is Duck Dynasty (???). When asked to name his favorite female athlete, he said, "My wife." (Note the choice of words here: not "My girlfriend," but "My wife.") Each 19-year-old named Konnor implies a later full-grown adult named Konnor. Also, according to Buster Olney, he has a huge nine-year, $140 million contract in the works.
Then again, it must be acknowledged that large long-term contracts are becoming increasingly common for young baseball prospects. The Seattle Mariners signed Griffin's fellow shortstop prospect Colt Emerson (20 years old, allegedly), who has yet to play an MLB game, to an eight-year contract, after the Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Roman Anthony (21, allegedly) to an eight-year, $130 million extension partway through his 2025 rookie season. Olney attributes this aggressiveness in signing players, with borderline-Shamsian language, to teams working around a possible salary cap:
There is an expectation among many industry sources that the aggressiveness of some teams to sign players will continue—with the anticipation that if there is a salary cap in the future, any deal signed before Dec. 1 might have to be grandfathered into the next system.
A friend of mine who lives in Pittsburgh has a coworker who was convinced during the offseason that the Pirates would be contending for the playoffs this year, with such optimism that I, perhaps unfairly, accused them of being fully off their rocker. Then again, this is baseball, and 83 wins was just enough in the National League last year for the Cincinnati Reds (fellow NL Central residents) to squeak in. As Mary Oliver once said, you do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You simply have to get over a .500 record.
Set aside Griffin's fundamental (and possibly debatable) teenaged-ness for a moment, what calling up prospects primarily provides for a team is the same as what spring does: hope. It is unlikely that Griffin will step up to the plate and immediately be literally Juan Soto; as a position player, he does not have the opportunity to be literally Paul Skenes. Griffin had a somewhat underwhelming spring training, with 13 strikeouts and a .749 OPS in 43 plate appearances. If he comes to the plate and immediately starts slugging, that would be amazing, but the potential—what could be, each year and with each young player—is the key.
There is a probability problem here about Rookie of the Year odds and the Prospect Promotion Incentive, but math aside, it is easy for even a crappy team to earn goodwill by giving fans someone to be excited for. The best part about being a teen is reaching the point of no longer being a teen, and fortunately for Griffin, he is only 21 days from reaching that point (assuming he did not in fact crest it some number of years ago—the jury is out!). The sooner he can get out there and put as many years between his high school and himself as possible, and grow into whatever player he will become, the better.
