Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Konnor Griffin Cemented as Baseball’s No. 1 Prospect as 2026 Lists Converge

Top evaluators cite elite tools with rapid 2025 gains, projecting an early big-league timeline.

Overview

  • ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel places Griffin in a tier by himself with a 65 FV bordering on 70, calling him the top prospect "by a mile" with comps to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bobby Witt Jr.
  • Keith Law of The Athletic ranks Griffin No. 1 with roughly 80-grade power, 80 speed and a 70 arm, projecting a plus shortstop who posts high OBPs and 25-plus homers and invoking Mike Trout-level upside.
  • MLB Pipeline’s 2026 Top 100 also headlines Griffin at No. 1, and MLB.com’s tools feature lists him as an honorable mention for power, speed and defense.
  • Griffin’s 2025 surge spanned three levels with a .333/.415/.527 line, 21 home runs and 65 steals, earning multiple Minor League Player of the Year honors and a MiLB Gold Glove.
  • Analysts note credible chatter that he could reach Pittsburgh early in 2026, potentially even breaking camp and entering Rookie of the Year consideration, though that timeline remains speculative.