Auctions
Rookie phenom Konnor Griffin already seeing his rookie cards soar
We’ve seen this buzz before: It precedes the MLB arrival of the most promising five-tool offensive phenoms and most unhittable young hurlers. Often, they fizzle. But sometimes they work out, quickly realizing their potential (think Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and last year’s shooting star, Paul Skenes).
This season, the buzz has fans anxious to see the Pirates’ top prospect, Konnor Griffin. Pittsburgh didn’t disappoint, calling up the shortstop on April 3 and then signing him to a nine-year, $140 million contract. At 19, he is one of the youngest players in MLB history to sign a $100 million contract.
Related Content:
Griffin, MLB's top overall prospect, was just five games into his Triple-A tenure, having advanced in 2025 (his first pro season) from A to High-A to Double-A. We shouldn’t gloss over his 2025 performance: He hit a combined .333 with 21 homers, 117 runs, 94 RBI and 65 stolen bases.
Griffin’s first big-league at-bat was a scene out of “The Natural.” The 6-3, 222-pound righty laced a heat-seeking missile into the left-center gap, good for a double. Moments later, a base hit to right field sent him sprinting home, exhibiting his blazing speed. And he was still three weeks shy of his 20th birthday.
Griffin hit just .176 in his first five games, but had three RBI and hit the ball hard while playing excellent defense.
Before we go inducting Griffin into the Hall of Fame, of course, we’ll wait and see how his career unfolds. Collectors, though, aren't that patient. On eBay, a bidder spent $22,435 after 61 bids to acquire a signed 2024 Bowman Chrome Red Xfractor card. Marked #3/5, it boasted a grade of PSA 10. And get this: It sold not in April (the week of Griffin’s MLB debut), but back in January.
At that point, the chase was on. Multiple variations of Griffin’s 2024 Bowman Chrome rookie—all autographed—brought these healthy prices:
• $15,400 on 63 bids for an Orange Refractor marked #4/25 and graded BGS 9.5.
• $15,100 on 38 bids for an ungraded Black Xfractor marked #5/10.
• $15,044 on 57 bids for a Bowman Chrome variation with a “popcorn” border. Marked #4/5, it had a PSA 10 grade.
• $13,500 on 55 bids for a Gold Refractor marked #38/50 and graded PSA 10.
• $12,345 on 41 bids for an ungraded Orange Refractor marked #3/25
• $12,000 on 100 bids for a Gold Shimmer marked #23/50 and graded PSA 10. Two other Gold Shimmers fetched $9,731 on 50 bids and $9,500 on 47 bids.
• $10,608 on 62 bids and $10,300 on 83 bids for two different PSA 10 Orange Wave Refractors marked #12/25 and #11/25.
