On the latest episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, two notable Double-A prospects in Pennsylvania, Konnor Griffin and Aidan Miller, discussed their seasons and development with host Jonathan Mayo. Both players were first-round draft picks out of high school, with Miller selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 and Griffin by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024.
Konnor Griffin has quickly risen through the minor leagues, reaching Altoona as a 19-year-old on August 19. Over his first 108 professional games split between Single-A and High-A, Griffin posted a .329 batting average with a .410 on-base percentage, 16 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 63 stolen bases. He currently holds the top spot on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect rankings. Defensively, he continues to play both shortstop and center field.
Griffin attributed his progress to early adjustments at the plate: “I started getting spun early on, and I was chasing outside the zone a little bit,” Griffin said. “Just not being patient. Not taking my walks when I needed to. Once I learned that, I started having a better idea about the approach I needed. I started getting my pitches to hit, and when I would get walked, I’d try to steal bags. Everything kind of took off from there.”
He also made mechanical changes to his stance: “I added a little rhythm to my stance, rather than standing there being a statue,” he said. “During my swing, my hands were kind of still. Now I have them starting a little farther back and have a rhythm going, which makes me feel loose, makes me feel comfortable. Even though I was a first-round pick, I knew I had a lot of things to work on. I wasn’t going to be uncoachable.”
Aidan Miller reached Double-A Reading at the end of his first full professional season in 2024 and has played all of this year there. After struggling offensively earlier in the season, Miller improved significantly in August with a .365 batting average and an increase in extra-base hits and stolen bases—leading the Eastern League with 50 steals so far this year.
“This month has been a really good month for me, everything seems to be clicking at the plate, but really the all-around game,” Miller said. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs this year. Not the season I wanted, hitting-wise, but its provided a lot of lessons. It’s a tough league to play in. it’s a lot different than A ball. I’m really learning who I am as a hitter, really developing an approach … these guys will spin you to death until you prove to them that you can hit it.”
Miller explained how he changed his approach against more advanced pitching: “It was just being too passive at the plate. I wanted to really change that, revamp my approach,” Miller said. “I think the report on me is ‘flip him over’, 0-0 spin because he’s not going to swing at it.’ It’s not like it’s their best breaking ball pitch. They’re hittable sliders … they’re in the zone. I was just taking them before; when you go down 0-1 you kind of set yourself up for a bad at-bat because the pitcher can do whatever he wants after that.”
The podcast provides weekly updates about baseball’s top prospects as they progress through minor league systems.
