Perrotto: Prospects Are Nice but Pennants Are Better
Konnor Griffin, considered the best baseball prospect on the planet, will make his Double-A debut tonight in Altoona.
It’s one of the few good stories for the Pittsburgh Pirates in what has been a miserable year. Griffin has already reached Double-A as a 19-year-old and barely more than a year after being a first-round draft pick.
There will likely be a few more people in the stands at Peoples Natural Gas Field than on a typical Tuesday night. Indeed, some hardcore Pirates’ fans will make the drive on Route 22 to see Griffin play his first Eastern League game.
Griffin’s promotion comes less than a week after Baseball America ranked the Pirates’ farm system as the second-best in the sport. Griffin is one of four Pirates prospects ranked in the publication’s top 100, along with Triple-A Indianapolis right-hander Bubba Chandler, Low-A Bradenton outfielder Edwin Florentino, and righty Seth Hernandez, the sixth overall pick in last month’s draft.
The ranking can give the Pirates’ front office something to be proud of, I guess. It could also buy general manager Ben Cherington another year to continue to convince owner Bob Nutting that the Pirates’ never-ending rebuilding phase remains on track.
The fans can also fantasize about Griffin, Chandler, Florentino, and Hernandez eventually helping lead the Pirates to a championship. If any group of fans deserves to have some hope, it’s Pirates’ fans.
However, here is what having a highly regarded farm system means: Nothing.
Sorry to burst the bubble of dreamers. Prospects are just that until they prove they can excel in the major leagues. Yes, Paul Skenes has been the starting pitcher for the National League in each of the two All-Star Games since being the first overall selection in the 2023 draft. Skenes is the exception to the rule.
If you don’t believe it, look no further back to 2021 when the Pirates used the first overall pick on catcher Henry Davis. Now 25, Davis has a .185/.270/.300 slash line in 164 games.
I also think back to 1993 and 1998.
The Pirates were in rebuilding mode in 1993 after losing most of their key players from teams that won the National League East the previous three seasons. However, the rebuilding was expected to be quick because of a nucleus of prospects that included left-hander Steve Cooke, right-hander Paul Wagner, first baseman Kevin Young, second baseman Carlos Garcia, and left fielder Al Martin.
The 1993 season marked the beginning of a 20-year streak of consecutive losing seasons for the Pirates, which didn’t end until 2013. It remains the longest streak of futility in the history of major North American professional sports.
Optimism was also high going into 1998 after the Pirates, taking advantage of playing in a weak NL Central, stayed in contention until the last week of the previous season.
Baseball America ranked the Pirates’ farm system as the best in baseball. Right-hander Kris Benson, second baseman Chad Hermansen, third baseman Aramis Ramirez, shortstop Abraham Nunez, and left-handed reliever Jeff Wallace were top 100 prospects.
The Pirates went 69-93 in 1998. Three years later, they moved into PNC Park and lost 100 games.
The point of this trip down memory lane is that prospects don’t always turn into championship teams. In the Pirates’ case, they never turn into pennant-winning teams.
The Pirates haven’t won a pennant since 1979.
That’s not to dampen the enthusiasm over Griffin. I wish him all the best, and he is undoubtedly a talented player.
Yet while prospects are nice, pennants are much better.
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