FORT MYERS, Fla. — Konnor Griffin could only stare as a man wearing a Paul Skenes shirsey gamely thought he could catch the baseball after Griffin’s first home run of spring training cleared the Green Monster-like structure in left field at JetBlue Park.

Two innings later, the sport’s prospect did something even more impressive, crushing his second homer 440 feet — and serving notice around Major League Baseball that he will indeed be pushing for big league work this spring.

Not in a flashy or selfish way, mind you. But with loud, authoritative swings like the two he delivered during a 16-7 victory for the Pirates against the Red Sox, which stretched their Grapefruit League record to 4-1.

Although plenty of Pirates had strong days at the plate — we’ll get there — nobody attracted more attention than Griffin.

“It just felt good to be out here,” Griffin said. “Got some good swings off. Smoked ’em, so that was a great win for us. We’ve been working really hard this spring. It’s showing for a lot of our guys right now.”

After working a 2-1 count, Griffin got a hanging curveball from Ranger Suarez and drove it down the left-line line at 104.8 mph in the second inning.

It cleared the entire structure that mimics the Green Monster — with seats in the middle and a boardwalk on top.

That 374-foot homer turned out to be nothing more than a warmup act.

Through his first two spring training games, Griffin’s process had been sound, including several hard-hit balls on Sunday in a split-squad game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Before the game, Pirates manager Don Kelly talked about how Griffin has been able to make subtle adjustments, which is yet another impressive part about the 19-year-old’s process.

“We have to keep in mind that he’s 19,” Kelly said. “It’s about continuing to push him, allowing him to be himself and playing free.”

Griffin’s first home run gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the second inning. His second was a solo shot in the fourth, extending Pittsburgh’s advantage to 4-0.

In that at-bat, Griffin got an 0-2 sweeper located high and away. He obliterated it, bringing the crowd to its feet once again. After crushing a few balls on Sunday, Griffin finally got the results.

And, in the process, reinforced why he’s such a highly regarded prospect and important player for the Pirates.

“That’s the way the game of baseball works,” Griffin said. “You’re gonna have some days where you’re gonna have bad luck. You’re gonna have really good luck on some days, as well. Just staying the same person, showing up, continuing to work. It’ll all work out for you.”

Not just Griffin

It was a productive day at the plate for several Pirates, starting with Jake Mangum atop the order. His speed gives the Pirates an option, and it was evident on a triple in the third inning. Mangum finished with two hits and was on base three times.

"He’s a huge weapon the way that he approaches an at-bat, grinds out at-bats, sees pitches when he gets on base and creates havoc on the bases,” Kelly said.

It’s been a strong spring for Nick Gonzales, and that continued against the Red Sox.

Gonzales cracked three hits, including a double. He drove in Mangum by taking a two-strike slider to left in the third, the type of approach we’ve seen from Gonzales when he’s been at his best.

Gonzales now has five hits in eight at-bats this spring. Whether Griffin ultimately makes the team or not, the 2020 first-round pick figuring it out and adding some pop can only help.

Nick Yorke had a triple among his three hits and stole a base against his former team, furthering his case for a bench spot with the big club.

Behind the plate, Endy Rodriguez built on his homer Saturday in Sarasota. Rodriguez doubled on a two-strike fastball up and away and scored on Griffin’s first home run.

Playing for the first time against his former team, Jhostynxon Garcia was the sixth Pirates player with multiple hits. He also stole a base and scored twice.

Mlodzinski shines

Time will tell whether Carmen Mlodzinski remains a starter, but he did little to hurt his cause on Tuesday, delivering a pair of scoreless innings and continuing to show off a splitter that he grew comfortable using midway through the 2025 season.

Mlodzinski notched three strikeouts in the first, two where Boston hitters were fooled and failed to pull the trigger.

Overall, Mlodzinski threw 19 of his 32 pitches for strikes. A quarter of those generated a called strike or a whiff. The right-hander also flashed a starter’s pitch mix with 10 sinkers, 10 four-seamers, seven splitters and five curveballs.

“That pitch is super important for me,” Mlodzinski said of the splitter. “It creates a lot of space with my fastball. It’s probably the most important pitch in my arsenal.”

Quotable

“He’s been pretty electric in the spring, and honestly, he just seems like a super humble guy, which I think everybody can appreciate. There’s a lot of hype, No. 1 prospect, and he’s a freak. But when you get to know him, he’s just a quiet, humble dude. He goes about his business the right way. Definitely a dude to watch out for.” — Mlodzinski on Griffin

Up next

The Pirates will travel to North Port to face the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park. Skenes will make his 2026 Grapefruit League debut, starting opposite right-hander Bryce Elder.

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