The Pittsburgh Pirates have the consensus number one prospect in all of baseball. Konnor Griffin is one of the most talented prospects of all time. Last season, he had a .941 OPS, .437 wOBA, and 165 wRC+ over 563 plate appearances. Griffin went yard 21 times while swiping 65 bases, and showing off elite defense at shortstop. There is no question he is the best prospect in baseball. So how does Griffin’s prospect status compare to former consensus number one prospects in baseball’s history?
The very first consensus number one prospect in baseball history that was a position player is now Hall of Fame infielder Chipper Jones. In 1992, Baseball America ranked Jones as the best prospect in the entire sport, and there are plenty of similarities between him and Griffin. In 1991, Jones hit .326, similar to Griffin’s .333 batting average. Jones’ OPS was also comparable, coming in at .926. Jones and Griffin also had nearly identical isolated slugging percentages. The former sat at .192, while the latter came in at .194. Jones also swiped 40 bags. 1991 was Jones’ age-19 season, just like 2025 was Griffin’s age-19 campaign.
However, there is a considerable amount of difference between the two. Jones spent the entire year at A-Ball, while Griffin started the year at the same level, but ended 2025 at Double-A. Jones committed a whopping 56 errors at shortstop, leading to questions about his future position. Jones would spend most of his career at third base, while Griffin looks like a shortstop, no questions asked. Jones was a switch-hitter, while Griffin only hits right-handed as well.
The title of the most hyped number one prospect in baseball history likely belongs to Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod ranked as BA’s number one prospect in 1995. Unlike Jones (but like Griffin) A-Rod was a five-tool prospect. He had a .953 OPS, batted .312, and hit 21 home runs over 477 plate appearances. He also rocketed through the minor leagues, starting 1994 at A-Ball, and ending the season at Triple-A.
Okay, Griffin to Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez is an extreme case. So let’s dial it down to a more modern case. After Rodriguez in 1995, it would take nearly 20 years until another shortstop ranked as the number one prospect in baseball. Jurickson Profar in 2013 became the next shortstop to rank as the consensus number one prospect in the sport. He didn’t hit nearly as well as Griffin, with a .820 OPS and 14 home runs in 562 plate appearances in 2012. However, he was in just his age-19 season, spent most of the year at Double-A, and made his MLB debut that year. While Profar was seen as a five-tool player at the time, not all of his tools projected as plus or better, like Griffin.
The most recent number one prospect who compares favorably in terms of prospect grades is Ronald Acuna Jr. In 2017. Acuna Jr. had a .896 OPS, 21 home runs, and 40 stolen bases in 612 plate appearances. He also played at three different minor league levels, starting the year at High-A and ending the season at Triple-A. 2017 was also Acuna’s age-19 season. MLB Pipeline gave him a plus grade or better for all of his tools. Baseball America ranked him number one, and while MLB Pipeline ranked him number two, only Shohei Ohtani ranked ahead of him.
Acuna ranking second by MLB Pipeline because of Ohtani is a special set of circumstances. Fans wouldn’t have to wait very long for another right-handed hitter to rank as the undisputed best prospect in baseball, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ranking first in 2019. He earned that spot after hitting an astounding .381 with a 1.073 OPS, and going yard 20 times in only 408 plate appearances in 2018. This was also his age-19 season, and he made it to Triple-A. Guerrero even hit over .400 in 266 plate appearances at Double-A this season. What made Guerrero Jr. interesting is that he was considered a poor defensive third baseman, and a below-average runner. But his offensive upside was so high, that he still was the consensus number one prospect in baseball. He was also getting comparisons to former star players, like Griffin has. Baseball America made the comparison to Manny Ramirez. Of course, there was the obvious comparison to his dad, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. when it came to hitting.
As you can see, the title of consensus number one prospect is a very prestigious title that has been held by all-stars, MVPs, and Hall of Famers. That already makes Konnor Griffin’s future very bright. The fact he has hit just as well as many of these former consensus number one prospects before they made their MLB debut is only making his arrival this season even more anticipated.
