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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates handed out the organization's top two Minor League awards on Thursday as Konnor Griffin won the Honus Wagner Player of the Year honor and Bubba Chandler was named the Bob Friend Pitcher of the Year.
The awards were announced by Michael Chernow, the team's Player Development chairman.
Griffin, who was promoted from Class A Greensboro to Double-A Altoona in August, was named the South Atlantic League's top MLB prospect for the season, despite not playing there a full year. During his time with the Grasshoppers, he led the league in batting (.325), hits (63), stolen bases (33), runs scored (48), OBP (.432), slugging (.510), OPS (.942) and total bases (99).
His 65 stolen bases were the most by a Pirates minor leaguer since Pedro Powell did it (67) in 2007. His 117 runs scored was the most since Robbie Grossman in 2011. Griffin finished the season with a .333 batting averaged with 161 hits, 94 RBIs, 117 runs scored an OBP of .415, slugging at .527, an OPS of .942 and 255 total bases.
Griffin, who two days ago won the Bill Mazeroski Award for best defensive player in the Pirates minor league system, was selected ninth overall by the Pirates in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Chandler, who was called up to Pittsburgh in September from Triple-A Indianapolis, finished with a 5-6 record, a 4.05 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 24 starts at Triple-A. At the outset of the 2025 season, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline had him listed as the No. 1 prospect in Pittsburgh's entire minor league system.
Since making his first professional appearance as a pitcher in 2022, Chandler leads all Pirates farmhands in strikeouts with 457 and with 26 wins. During the 2023 season, he finished with 128 strikeouts, making him one of 13 minor league pitchers, 20-or-younger, with that many strikeouts.
Pittsburgh selected Chandler in the third round of the MLB Draft in 2021.