Pirates' Griffin: Rookie Star Evolving

0:00It's April 21st. MLB News. Today starts now. AI powered in game ready. I'm Cory with the story. Pittsburgh pirates are locking in 19-year-old shortstop Connor Griffin as their guy for years to come, but they're smartly easing him into. Avoid burnout early. He debuted on April 3rd in a five-to-four home win over Baltimore, and since then he started 14 out of 16 games the teams played. Now with the packed road schedule ahead, including back-to-back series in different cities, they're giving him occasional breathers. The big reason boils down to the grind of Major League Live hitting different from the minors. Down there, you stay put for six games, travel once a week, and get a built-in off-day every Monday for recovery. Up here, it's non-stop pops between cities with stretches over a week without rest, wearing harder on a kid still adjusting to pro-ball. Fans and front-offers see Griffin growing fast despite some rookie bumps. His overall slash line sits at 2.18, over 2.90, over 2.91,

1:03for a 581 OPS, with four walks against 18. Strikeouts. But he's heating up on a four-game hit streak, grabbing five hits in 18 ad bats, a triple, three RBI's and three steals. Defensively, he's shining at short, backing up that minorly gold glove he snagged last year with just a couple slips so far. On April 8th, he inked a nine-year, $140 million extension, betting big on his future. If Griffin keeps building that bat this season, he could snag nationally rookie of the year honors and spark the pirates toward ending there. Decade without playoffs. Keep watching this young star evolve.