Drew Aller

It's a pretty representative lineup.

Ryan O'Hearn, Brian Reynolds, Jake Mangum are out there.

Henry Davis behind the plate.

So I think you've got a good number of guys that are potential starters in the lineup today.

I think the Pirates want him to start in the minors.

That's the feeling, the vibe that I've gotten from them is that the decision was already made.

That's their preference is that he starts the season in the minors.

I was talking to someone close to the team yesterday, and they expressed how in April is when you're going to get your best pitching in AAA because you have guys that are

Essentially, the major leaguers that are on non-roster invites that are on minor league deals are going to be there kind of working out their issues, whether they're returning from an injury or whether they're going to prove a contract.

You have the AAA guys that are top 100 prospects are there before their call-up, and you've got the guys that are the quad A pitchers that are still trying to prove themselves.

So he was basically saying,

hey, look, a month in April could be beneficial to his confidence, seeing some really good pitching before he gets to the major leagues.

That said, the longer he's up here and the more opportunity he gets, and the opportunities are going to increase here now that the World Baseball Classic is about to start and some of these players are going to be going to play for other countries, he's going to make the difficult decision for them.

Connor Griffin is showing every day that he belongs.

And, you know, whether they feel like he's ready or not for opening day, I don't think anybody has any questions that Connor Griffin is going to make his major league debut in the 2026 season.

And I would imagine it's going to be sooner rather than later.

So I just, you know, talking to Brian Reynolds today, talked about how, you know, he just looks the part and not just looks at physically the way he carries himself, the way he acts.

This is a guy who isn't overwhelmed by the attention and hasn't allowed any of the hype to change him.

And that's what impresses the major leaguers.

You know, he said, we talked so much about five-toll talent.