As the Pittsburgh Pirates look towards their future, top prospect Konnor Griffin is expected to play a major role in any offensive success they find. In the midst of an eye-opening spring training, that future might be now in Pittsburgh.

Griffin has been tearing the cover off the ball, most notably hitting two home runs against the Boston Red Sox in spring training action. The top prospect's efforts are forcing the Pirates' hand in terms of naming Griffin their Opening Day starting shortstop, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

“Around the Pirates, there is a lot of talk about him, a lot of excitement about him,” Rosenthal said. “They believe he can be a unicorn along the lines of Paul Skenes. That's a lot to ask obviously. But he looks like a young Cal Ripken Jr. What you hear from his teammates and opponents, you hear that this is a kid who has a good head on his shoulders. He is very mature, he's savvy about the game. He knows what he's doing on the field.”

“It looks like he is trending towards being their Opening Day shortstop,” he continued. “It's a bit of a stretch, but we have seen young players who can make an impact right away. It looks like, looks like, Konnor Griffin can be the next one.”

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Griffin is only 19-years-old. He hasn't played above the Double-A level. However, it didn't take long for the infielder to show what he could do. Over his first 122 minor league games, Griffin hit .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases.

The Pirates may opt to get their top prospect some more seasoning in Triple-A. But it's clear he is on the cusp of the major leagues. If he continues tearing the cover off the ball in spring training, Pittsburgh will only consider keeping Griffin on the Opening Day roster more seriously.