This update is a story of halves. The first half is great. Baseball’s #1 prospect debuted with the Pirates on April 3rd against the Baltimore Orioles. Five days later, the team announced that they had signed Konnor Griffin to a 9-year $140 million contract extension – the largest contract in Pittsburgh Pirates history.

“I see a winning organization here,” Griffin said. “We’re gonna do a lot of great things with the players that we have. I wanna be a part of it for nine years. I wanna continue to be a part of the build of winning playoff baseball. This is a great place for me, a great place for my family. I couldn’t be more proud.”

After a bit of a slow start in his first month in the big leagues, Griffin hit .306 in May to bring his season average to .270. From there, he suffered a right forearm strain that sidelined him for a month. He returned from the forearm strain on June 26th and picked up where he left off, hitting .305 between June 26th and July 5th. He even made a couple of stellar plays on defense.

Now for the other side of the story. In the 3rd inning of a game against the Washington Nationals on July 5th, Griffin suffered a torn ligament in his left ring finger. He stayed in the game, and told reports afterwards that his finger was fine, but then on July 8th, the team announced that Griffin would miss 8-10 weeks with the injury. Griffin elected to avoid surgery on the finger, as recovery time from an operation would’ve effectively ended Konnor Griffin’s rookie season.

As it stands, this puts Griffin returning to the lineup sometime in September. In my Prospect Spotlight back in March, I ended it by saying,

“Is October baseball likely at PNC? No, but it’s not impossible either.”

The Pirates have been a pleasant surprise. They find themselves at 53-50 going into play on July 23rd, and only a half game out of the final NL Wild Card spot. The offense has life for the first time in years. One of the best in the league, in fact. Fellow rookie Esmerlyn Valdez has been a revelation. Braxton Ashcraft has shown flashes of ace-quality stuff. The offseason additions of Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn look genius. The Buccos are back.

So, I don’t blame Konnor Griffin for electing to skip surgery. The Pirates have a real chance to reach the postseason, and Konnor Griffin wants to be there. The team wants him there too. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery and a chance to see Pittsburgh’s last two #1 overall prospects – Konnor Griffin and Paul Skenes – suit up together in October.