PITTSBURGH — Konnor Griffin swiped his left hand across home plate, then pumped his right twice while screaming with excitement.
The 20-year-old shortstop returned from the 60-day injured list on Friday and instantly showed off the elite speed that helped him become a five-tool prospect. In bottom of the second inning, Jake Mangum ripped a double down the right-field line. Griffin raced around from first to home in 10.14 seconds at a sprint speed of 29.1 feet per second, and slid past the tag, despite the throw beating him to the plate.
Griffin’s run jump-started a 1-0 win for the Pirates over the Angels on Friday night at PNC Park to start a three-game series. Griffin finished 0-for-3, but he scored the only run, while starter Jared Jones struck out nine over six scoreless innings before the bullpen took care of the rest.
Pirates manager Don Kelly said pregame that the team would ease Griffin back into action after missing the last two months. Pittsburgh doesn’t have much room to ease players in at this point, with its postseason chances dwindling by the day.
Griffin batted sixth and played shortstop in his first eligible day to return from the 60-day injured list. Since first going on the IL on July 7, Griffin emphasized how badly he wanted to return as soon as possible. He passed all tests with flying colors, returning the sagittal band on his left ring finger to form.
“There is nothing that he does that isn’t full go, 100%,” Kelly said pregame.
Veteran Brandon Lowe described the return of Griffin as a “shot in the arm” to a Pirates team who entered Friday five games behind the Diamondbacks for the final NL Wild Card spot. Lowe, who was acquired by Pittsburgh from Tampa Bay on Dec. 19, first heard of the top prospect from Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander.
Neander told Lowe that this “kid” ranked extremely high in Tampa Bay’s scouting system. On the first day of Spring Training, Lowe and Griffin were in the same batting practice group, and after watching Griffin hit a few balls, Lowe saw the tools Neander praised.
“Since he was 17 years old, he’s had expectations around him. I feel like he’s exceeded every single one of those expectations so far,” Lowe told MLB.com. “… He knows exactly what he’s doing and who he is. And as long as he stays within himself, he’s going to be a good player for a long time.”
Griffin reached on a fielder’s choice in his first at-bat before scoring. He lined out to right field his second time up and struck out in his third plate appearance. Still, the impact Griffin makes in all aspects contributes to winning, just as it did Friday night in his return.