Better know a draft prospect: Konnor Griffin

Could the Royals go with another prep bat this year?

The high school baseball season will soon wind down, and the Royals could be looking to take another prep player with their #6 pick. Last year they took high school catcher Blake Mitchell, who is off to a pretty good start in Low-A Columbia this year.

The Royals could go that route again, according to the latest mock draft at MLB Pipeline this week. They have the Royals selecting prep player Konnor Griffin out of Mississippi with the #6 pick.

This seems like the first spot a high schooler could go, and new scouting director Brian Bridges does like prep bats. Griffin has perhaps the best all-around tools in the class and if there weren’t some small questions about his hit tool, he might be in the 1-1 conversation.

Griffin plays shortstop, outfield, and pitches for Jackson Prep in Flowood, a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi. Originally part of the class of 2025, he won a state title his freshman year and reclassified for 2024. He will turn 18 just before the draft, making him one of the younger players available.

Standing at 6’4’’, 210, Griffin is bigger than the traditional size for a shortstop. While some scouts feel he could be a plus defender at shortstop, more scouts seem to feel he will be an elite centerfielder at the pro level.

Griffin is a dream for scouts enamored with tools, showing plus power and plus speed. He has a tremendous arm that has been clocked at 96 mph on the mound and has long legs that allow him to cover a lot of ground.

At the plate, the ball explodes off Griffin’s bat. Baseball America writes he has tremendous raw power, but is not necessarily a free-swinger.

He makes hard contact that shows up as home run power in games, with raw power that should be at least plus once he fills out. Griffin’s offensive approach is advanced for his age as well, leading to high contact rates and typically strong game performance, both in terms of getting on base and hitting for power, though he had just a lukewarm showing during the 2023 showcase period.

MLB Pipeline also praises his ability to control the strike zone and make contact, but does note “he has some timing issues he’s ironing out at the plate.” Keith Law also writes that Griffin’s “swing gets long thanks to a first move back further behind his body, although once he gets the bat going it’s a traditional swing that should produce a lot of line drives.”

Baseball America: 9

Keith Law: 19

Kiley McDaniel: 14

MLB Pipeline: 9

Perfect Game: 8

Prospects Live: 6

High school hitters can be risky, but they’re not nearly as risky as high school pitchers, and in fact, are a safer bet than college pitchers, according to data compiled by Keith Law. While the Royals did not fare well drafting Bubba Starling out of high school, and the book is still out on Nick Pratto, other first round picks out of high school like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and current star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. paid off handsomely.

Griffin brings a lot of tools without the red flags that other raw toolsy athletes bring. He is fairly polished for a high school player, but at a very young age, which gives him more time to develop. On the other hand, this is a draft that seems heavier in college players at the top of the draft, and taking Griffin will mean bypassing a lot of college talent that could help more immediately.