For the second time in the last six Drafts, Jackson Prep (Flowood, Miss.) features one of the most tooled-up prospects in the high school class. While Jerrion Ealy opted to pursue a football career, Griffin is a full-time baseball player and could be the first prepster drafted in July. He reclassified from the 2025 Draft to 2024 after leading Jackson Prep to a Midsouth Association of Independent Schools 6-A state championship as a freshman, then helped the Patriots win titles in each of the last two seasons and topped national high schoolers with 87 stolen bases in 88 attempts this spring.
Gatorade's National High School Player of the Year, Griffin has a big league frame at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds and he possesses five-tool potential. His size does add some length to his right-handed stroke and he has some timing issues he's ironing out at the plate, but he controls the strike zone well and makes regular contact. His combination of electric bat speed, strength and leverage could translate into 30-homer power as he learns to drive the ball in the air more consistently.
Griffin also has well-above-average speed, giving him 30-30 upside. Scouts project him as a plus defender at shortstop and a possible Gold Glover in center field. The Louisiana State commit covers plenty of ground with long strides at both positions and also offers a strong arm that has been clocked up to 96 mph off the mound. His makeup is as impressive as his physical ability.
As the top 10 picks of the 2024 Draft came off the board, it became clear the Pirates had a choice at No. 9: go with one of the seemingly safer college bats available or go big with one of the top high school players. After eight straight college players went ahead of them, the Pirates went all-in by taking Griffin, who had reclassified to be eligible for last summer’s Draft and was named Gatorade’s National High School Player of the Year that spring. He received a bit over slot ($6.53 million) to join the Pirates rather than head to Louisiana State.
Arguably the owner of the loudest tools in the entire Draft class, Griffin has five-tool potential coming from his 6-foot-4 frame. While he makes consistent contact and has shown the ability to control the zone well, some evaluators did worry about length in his swing and some timing issues he needs to iron out. But his impressive bat speed combined with his strength and leverage could help him get to plus in-game power, especially as he learns to get the ball into the air more. He added more muscle to his frame this offseason.
With at least plus speed, Griffin has 30/30 potential and the ability to play multiple positions very well. His arm that fired mid-90s fastballs off the mound and quickness to cover a lot of ground are pluses on the dirt and in the outfield, so he’ll continue to see time at shortstop and center field as he starts his pro career. More evaluators see center as a better long-term home, but he’s the kind of athlete teams let tell them where they fit best.
For the second time in the past six Drafts, Jackson Prep (Flowood, Miss.) featured one of the most tooled-up prospects in the high school class. While Jerrion Ealy opted to pursue a football career, Griffin is a full-time baseball player and ended up as the first prepster drafted in July. He reclassified from the 2025 Draft to 2024 after leading Jackson Prep to a Midsouth Association of Independent Schools 6-A state championship as a freshman, then helped the Patriots win titles in each of the last two seasons and topped national high schoolers with 87 stolen bases in 88 attempts this spring. The Pirates took him No. 9 overall and went a bit over slot to sign him away from his commitment to Louisiana State.
Gatorade's National High School Player of the Year, Griffin has a big league frame at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, and he possesses five-tool potential. His size does add some length to his right-handed stroke, and he has some timing issues he's ironing out at the plate, but he controls the strike zone well and makes regular contact. His combination of electric bat speed, strength and leverage could translate into 30-homer power as he learns to drive the ball in the air more consistently.
Griffin also has well-above-average speed, giving him 30-30 upside. Scouts project him as a plus defender at shortstop and a possible Gold Glover in center field. He covers plenty of ground with long strides at both positions and also offers a strong arm that has been clocked up to 96 mph off the mound. His makeup is as impressive as his physical ability.
