Baseball Gives Pirates’ Konnor Griffin Platform for Bigger Purpose
As Konnor Griffin makes his way to the right-handed batter’s box at PNC Park with “Nobody” by Casting Crowns featuring Matthew West playing over the speakers, he makes a brief detour before stepping in for his at-bat.
Griffin takes a moment to draw a cross in the dirt with the top of his bat at the edge of the circle surrounding home plate. It’s a small gesture of something that means so much to him.
“I’ve always drawn a cross, ever since I was a high school player,” Griffin said. It’s just a routine that I have to try and give God the glory as many ways as I can.”
Ever since he was a child, Griffin has been a devout Christian, something that was instilled in him by his parents, Kevin and Kim.
Griffin’s faith has shaped him into the person and the player that he is today, one who went from a highschooler, to a first-round draft pick, to the consensus top prospect in baseball, to a $140 million man all within a two-year span.
Even with everything that’s happened, he’s never lost sight of what comes first.
“My parents kept me in the church a lot,” Griffin said of his upbringing. “Once I moved away from home to start my professional career, I just wanted to continue having that as the most important thing in my life. Continued to go find churches in the communities that I was spending time at and I will continue to do that.”
Griffin took part in the Pirates’ annual faith night at PNC Park, an event where a handful of players and coaches sit on the field in front of hundreds of fans after a game.
Griffin, along with his wife, Dendy, were among those who were seated on the first base line to hear what others had to say on Saturday after the Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 17-7.
“It was great giving my support to something that I feel so strongly about. Getting to hear the testimonies of Tony Beasley, [Michael] McKenry, [Brandon Lowe] and Isaac [Mattson] who all spoke. It’s just cool to hear their stories. You never really know everybody’s real story until they get to share it.”
For Griffin, faith gives him perspective. When he’s going through struggles – like the growing pains he endured during his first few weeks as a teenage big-leaguer – his belief provides him with comfort, which is one explanation for the impressive level-headedness he shows for someone his age.
“It’s just my place to find peace,” Griffin said.
Not many players in baseball have received more attention than Griffin since he was called up to the big leagues a little over a month ago. As the game’s top prospect, and one who almost immediately signed a franchise-record contract, Griffin joined the Pirates with high expectations as a franchise cornerstone.
The 20-year-old is not only one of the most popular players in Pittsburgh, but someone who has the ability to become one of the faces of Major League Baseball. And with that, Griffin will be able to share his faith to an even-larger audience.
“I feel like I’m called to play baseball and use my platform for the right reasons,” he explained. “That’s just how I was raised and how I’m gonna continue to lead my life.”
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