General manager Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates have cashed in on — well, dished out for, really — one high school draftee already this season. Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, 19, cracked the club’s roster and signed a lucrative contract extension after just one full minor league season.
Griffin’s accelerated ascension begs the question: Can another highly touted Bucs prospect, pitcher Seth Hernandez, rise through the ranks as quickly?
Western Pennsylvania native and former MLB hurler Matt Clement pushed back against that idea during an appearance on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday.
“There’s a process,” said Clement, who played nine seasons in the MLB and was an American League All-Star with the Boston Red Sox in 2005. “Could you rocket him through? Yeah. He’s gonna have to hit these different levels. It’s a lot of stress, a lot of stress on the arm. He’s coming from high school, where he wasn’t throwing that amount of pitches.
“To really know — you can get Konnor Griffin the ABs — but to get Seth Hernandez the innings to see it, it’s gonna take a lot more wear and tear on that arm, which makes no sense to make this a rushed thing.”
Seth Hernandez is MLB’s 24th-ranked prospect
Hernandez, who the Pirates selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, is MLB.com’s No. 24 overall prospect. For now, he’s with the club’s Class A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders.
The 6-foot-4, 19-year-old right-hander previously starred at Corona High School (Calif.), where he struck out 105 in 53.1 innings and posted a 0.39 ERA as a senior.
Through two starts in Bradenton, Hernandez has a 1.29 ERA, 15 strikeouts, one walk and has allowed three hits over seven innings. He tossed four no-hit innings his last time out, against the Palm Beach Cardinals.
Employing a four-pitch arsenal, Hernandez is “able to repeat his on-line and loose delivery and command the ball, both impressive for a young power pitcher,” his MLB.com scouting report says.
“He’s like a video game,” Clement said. “He’s like playing your Nintendo, and you’re making these pitches do stuff that (they) shouldn’t do. It’s crazy how good he is — and to take 15 off a fastball (for his changeup).
“The curveball, the breaking ball he’s throwing, it’s like the hitters don’t even wanna look at it. It’s like they can’t even see it coming.”
Matt Clement: Seth Hernandez ready to move up in minors
Clement has personally seen all he needs out of Hernandez at his current level.
“He’s done enough already, if you want my opinion, for the High-A, to get to Double-A,” he said.
But has he done enough to pitch in the big leagues? That remains to be seen.