The Pomp And Joe Show
Noah Hiles thinks Konnor Griffin makes roster, predicts Pirates win total
13 Mar 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Fan Hotline presented by Sullivan Super Service, Pittsburgh's trusted plumbing and HVAC provider for over 50 years. We go back out to the Fan Hotline and we welcome in Noah Hiles from the Post Gazette. Noah, are you still in Bradenton? How long are you down there for? I know with the recent transition, some transaction news with personnel at the PG, you went down to Bradenton. So still there?
It looks like. That doesn't look like your house. It does not. No, this is the condo we're staying in. Yeah, I'm down here probably for the rest of spring just helping out Colin Beasley whenever he needs a blow.
So not a bad assignment to get, right, to go hang out in Florida for three weeks in March and basically fill in the cracks where the younger guy who's got a bigger, harder-working motor than me now, whenever he needs a blow, I can come in and give him some minutes off the bench. Is Connor Griffin making the team? I mean, depending on who you talk to, right? Some people certainly think no.
I am in the camp that I still think yes. If I had to guess, it would be yes. I think there are some pending factors. I don't think it's a done deal. I'm not overly fixated on his spring training production, especially his batting average. I mean, if a guy was batting this average, 10, 15 games into the regular season. Will we be making a big deal out of it?
So why are we doing it in spring training when it's completely different? I think you want to look at the quality of his at-bats. And if those improve, I think he makes the team. He hasn't drawn a walk yet. I think that's something to be concerned about. He is hitting the ball hard. His pitch recognition is a little spotty right now. But I mean, even still,
i arrived here and like really just when the pirates arrived spring training i was of the frame of mind where if this kid looked like he belonged he was going to make the team i don't know if the pirates had that frame of mind but that's how i looked at it and he looks like he belongs i i don't think you can objectively say that this kid isn't a better shortstop than nick gonzalez like he just is if there was an actual everyday shortstop competing with him for this job
It'd be different. But he gives this team the best chance to win as many games as possible by starting the season in the major leagues. Even if he's not entirely ready for some people's standards, he's ready enough where he is their best option. And if that's the case, he should make this team. If he doesn't begin the season in the majors, first part of the question, how long is he in AAA?
Is it like the Paul Skeen's route of a couple of years ago where it's, maybe a month and he's up here by like the second week of May. I mean, I can't see any logic for him starting in AAA to begin with Donnie. So I can't pretend to be in the heads of the people who would make that decision.
But if he were to go there, I mean, I think he'd be there until he checked off whatever boxes that they want to see him check off. I mean, in this case, If service time is a huge concern, then they shouldn't play them in the major leagues at all because you're going to lose a whole year of service time next year if there's a lockout. So I don't think that's part of the equation.
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Chapter 2: What are Noah Hiles' thoughts on Konnor Griffin making the Pirates roster?
And then Triolo would play over there when they face a righty on the mound. Then maybe you could have Callahan there. But again, we're talking about guys who would probably be bench players on most teams. How much of a role does the password have or will he have? Not much of a role to start just because of how crowded this outfield is already.
I mean, they're going to be looking for ways to get Jake Mangum in this lineup just because of the moves with Ozuna anchoring that DH spot. You're going to have O'Hearn and Reynolds playing the corner outfield, and obviously O'Neal Cruz is going to be your everyday center fielder.
the fact that they're going to kind of struggle to find ways when everyone's healthy to get Mangum playing time, which seems to be a priority for them, tells me that the password makes it even more complicated. Now, I think Garcia's future here in Pittsburgh is pretty bright. I anticipate him being an everyday player by next season at the latest.
But it's going to take some time for him to kind of open up and, you know, for something to open up for him, I should say. So I think that it makes sense to start him in AAA despite him having as good of a spring as he's had. Start him in AAA, let him get everyday playing time. And when an opportunity opens for him to be a regular contributor, to get consistent at bats, that's when you play him.
That's when you promote him, I should say. A pretty dazzling start for Bubba Chandler last night.
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Chapter 3: Why is Noah not concerned about Konnor Griffin's spring training batting average?
Five innings, one earned run, eight strikeouts, one walk against the Braves. Is that something we shouldn't get too excited about? Do we just chalk it up to how it's spring training? Or do you think he's ready to take that next step this season? I mean, you're going to take the good and the bad, right?
If you're going to get excited about that, then you should be worried about the bad starts that came before it. I think that that's what fans should expect from Bubba. It's going to be up and down a little bit. I mean, the ceiling is super high, but when he's off, it can get ugly. I mean, and that's the case for a lot of people with his level of talent at that young age. Not
Not everyone's Paul schemes who just comes in and dominates from the start. This guy's going to have an occasional bad outing here and there, but when he's on, he's, he's really tough to hit. And we saw that yesterday. And I think we'll see that plenty in the regular season. Talking to Noah Hiles from the Post-Gazette columnist, but also down covering the Buccos at spring training.
Any more additions to that rotation? Are they really going to roll in there with five righties as their starting pitchers? I mean, I don't know. We're getting to the point now where if they acquire a guy, he's probably starting the year in AAA anyway, right?
Unless they're making a trade from another team, but if they're signing a free agent now, if they're getting an Anderson who I believe is still available, I think Corbin's still out there if I'm not mistaken. But if you're getting a guy like that, then yeah, those guys are almost certainly starting the year in the minor leagues because they're so far behind and
spring training regardless of what they're doing workout wise you know on their own um i guess you could acquire a starter from another team in a trade but i mean what are you giving up to get that starter to be probably your number five and even a temporary number five at that because jared jones is eventually going to be back in this rotation and um
know like who else who else is giving that up like everyone's trying to acquire starting pitching right now this is honestly one of the teams that has the the assets to still trade away another starting pitcher although it probably wouldn't be in their best interest they could do it if they really wanted to um so yeah i don't know how they would go about it i think if they acquired any sort of arm it would probably be more on the bullpen side things by now
Why do you think that never happened? Because that is something that has been a specialty of Ben Charrington, acquiring left-handed veteran pitchers. Yeah, I don't know. I mean... If you're a left-handed pitcher, you look at this rotation and say, I mean, what am I coming here for, right?
I mean, am I coming here to try to compete for the entire season's job, or am I just holding – am I keeping Jared Jones' seat warm until he's here, or Hunter Barco's seat warm until you feel like he's big league ready? So that could be a tough sell for some guys.
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Chapter 4: How does Konnor Griffin compare to other shortstops in the Pirates system?
and you're on the outside in, and you're not someone that they drafted, developed, and you're getting a minor league roster invite or even a big league contract at this point, you look, I mean, how many of those left-handers that they signed finish the season in Pittsburgh, right? Most of those guys get traded mid-season or DFA'd.
And so, and I don't think the Pirates were wrong in any of those moves. I'm just saying that it's like, we get to a point where you just know, hey, there's not a lot of security here because there are better options than me in this organization if I were to go there. So I think that could have played a part of it. And I also just think the Pirates had other priorities.
You look at how they allocated their money this year. Pitching wasn't really their first train of thinking. You mentioned Hunter Barco there. He is a lefty. What kind of timeline is he on after the cup of coffee he had in 2025?
Yeah, I talked to him last week, and he said when he got there – I mean, last year they clearly had some guardrails on him because it was his first full season post-Tommy John. They optioned him to minor league camp, I mean, I think probably like the first week of March. He never got more than two innings of work in a single game in Grapefruit League play.
I asked him what his workload was like this year and what the conversations were like, and he said – they said – Compete for a major league starting job. There are no restrictions. There are no guardrails. So that tells me, I mean, if he's ready, then he'll be their number five starter. It's just a matter of if he's ready.
He's a guy where unlike Griffin, you can find a healthy alternative anywhere. to make sure this kid's ready. Where Griffin, even if he's not ready, he's still probably the best option. I don't know if you could say that with Barco.
I think you could get similar production if you went with a bullpen game once every five turns through the rotation for the first month and a half of the season if you needed to get Barco ready. I don't think it's a timeline thing, though. I think it's just more if they feel like he's checked enough boxes, he'll make this team. And if not, he'll go to AAA until they feel he's ready.
When do you think we do see Jared Jones back into either the rotation or the bullpen? That's a good question. Yeah, Jared's in an interesting spot because I think they have the luxury of maybe not need. I mean, they should never rush anyone back from injury. Jared's obviously, I think, going to want to get back here as soon as possible.
But they have the luxury of seeing how things are laying out when Jared's getting off the aisle and they can really be strategic of how they deploy him. I don't anticipate him. coming up as a reliever.
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Chapter 5: What factors could affect Konnor Griffin's chances of making the team?
Do you move a guy like Braxton Ashcraft back to the bullpen because he's been that back-and-forth guy before? What do you do there? Or if things aren't going well, where do you slot him in? Who do you bump out? They have a lot of calculus to do with Jared Jones. But, I mean, the first step in that is him getting healthy. He seems healthy.
But I don't anticipate that being a problem that they're really going to start solving until – I don't know, late May. Again, I don't have the calendar in front of me to know exactly when he would even be eligible to come back. Greg Brown was on the morning show today. He's going to join those guys this season instead of us in the afternoon.
Brownie also helping get the entire morning show down to Bradenton, which is nice. He said O'Neal Cruz, 40 home runs this year, Noah. Fair or foul? Let's see it. I mean, we've been predicting him to do this every year since he arrived, haven't we, Donnie? Yes. And it's been one thing or another. It's been injuries. It's been, you know, oh, he can't hit lefties.
It's been not enough lineup protection. It's been whatever the hell happened last year post-May. Does he have the potential to hit 40 home runs? Absolutely. I think he has the easiest chance to get there this year, A, because he's now in his fourth season since being promoted to the major leagues, and also he has a lot of lineup protection.
He's not the only true power hitter in this lineup anymore. You've got to worry about Marcel Lozuna. You've got to worry about Ryan O'Hearn and Brandon Lau. But we got to see him do it. I mean, you can make whatever predictions. And Brownie's not the only one. MLB.com had him as one of their three dark horse candidates to win NL MVP.
And it's easy to make those predictions when you look at his talent. But we're at a point now where I don't know if he necessarily deserves the benefit of the doubt, right? And he's not the only guy you could say that for. We know you're talented. We see it in you. But until you go out and do something more than what you've done, which is what?
Being a two and a half war player, which is good, but he has a lot more potential than just good. But until he does that, then I personally, I'm not setting any bar higher than that. Just get back to where you were in 2024 because you regressed dramatically last year. And then once you get to that, we'll see what other goals you can achieve.
Is Henry Davis going to be anything more than the personal catcher for Paul Skeens this season? I mean, I don't know. I mean, their entire catcher group has looked pretty bad, in my opinion, this spring. None of them are hitting the ball well.
I mean, Endy's having the best offensive spring out of all four of them, and I don't know if Endy's durable enough right now to even catch a full major league season behind the plate. They're having him only play catcher in DH, but I mean, this is a guy who's had a couple of arm surgeries, so there's some fair questions to be asked there.
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