Konnor Griffin will be in the leadoff spot for the first time in his big-league career tonight against Chicago left-hander Jordan Wicks.
This will only be the eighth time in which Griffin has hit in the top five spots in the lineup. He’s hit second on four occasions and has been in the fifth spot three times. He appeared in the leadoff spot in 97 games at the minor-league level last year, hitting .341 with a .985 OPS.
"I'm really excited to see Konnor up there,” Don Kelly said this afternoon. “He's done a good job against lefties. He's going to continue to get better, as we've seen in the short time he's been in the big leagues. I think that challenging him in different ways, and he's met all of those, excited to see him take another step today as a leadoff guy."
Leadoff duties in this particular matchup seem appropriate for a player like Griffin, who is batting .282 with a .736 OPS against lefties this season. Wicks has allowed opposing right-handed hitters to bat .279 against him in his major-league career and hasn't started a game at this level since 2024.
It doesn’t hurt that Griffin is a menace on the basepaths, too. He has 98th percentile sprint speed and is tied for the fourth-most stolen bases (12) among players in the National League.
“With Konnor's speed, getting him towards the top where he can get on and hopefully create some havoc on the bases,” Kelly said. “Just really like the way Konnor's contained to get better. He's done a good job, I think, in all the spots. Started off lower and challenged him in different ways. He continues to meet those."
THE ASYLUM
Griffin batting leadoff for first time in majors
Konnor Griffin will be in the leadoff spot for the first time in his big-league career tonight against Chicago left-hander Jordan Wicks.
This will only be the eighth time in which Griffin has hit in the top five spots in the lineup. He’s hit second on four occasions and has been in the fifth spot three times. He appeared in the leadoff spot in 97 games at the minor-league level last year, hitting .341 with a .985 OPS.
"I'm really excited to see Konnor up there,” Don Kelly said this afternoon. “He's done a good job against lefties. He's going to continue to get better, as we've seen in the short time he's been in the big leagues. I think that challenging him in different ways, and he's met all of those, excited to see him take another step today as a leadoff guy."
Leadoff duties in this particular matchup seem appropriate for a player like Griffin, who is batting .282 with a .736 OPS against lefties this season. Wicks has allowed opposing right-handed hitters to bat .279 against him in his major-league career and hasn't started a game at this level since 2024.
It doesn’t hurt that Griffin is a menace on the basepaths, too. He has 98th percentile sprint speed and is tied for the fourth-most stolen bases (12) among players in the National League.
“With Konnor's speed, getting him towards the top where he can get on and hopefully create some havoc on the bases,” Kelly said. “Just really like the way Konnor's contained to get better. He's done a good job, I think, in all the spots. Started off lower and challenged him in different ways. He continues to meet those."
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