Wyatt Sanford is forcing the Pittsburgh Pirates to think a little harder about their future, and that’s usually a good sign.
The 20-year-old shortstop has turned a breakout 2026 season into real momentum, then carried it straight into the Arizona Fall League. Through his first six games with the Glendale Desert Dogs, Sanford was hitting .318/.423/.455 with a home run and two RBI.
He made his entrance in a hurry, too, drilling a solo shot in his Fall League debut on Oct. 3.
That production isn’t coming out of nowhere. Sanford put together a strong regular season across Single-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro, batting .282/.417/.546 with 19 home runs, 44 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 77 games.
For a hitter who had been viewed more as a contact-first player, the jump in power stands out. He hit only five home runs in 64 games in 2025, then nearly quadrupled that total this year even while missing about two months with a broken hand.
The trouble for Sanford is that Pittsburgh may already have its shortstop answer. Konnor Griffin, his good friend and former roommate in pro ball, is also a top young talent in the organization.
Griffin, the Pirates’ first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, signed a nine-year extension in April worth $140 million that runs through 2034. In his rookie season, he hit .272 with six home runs and 23 stolen bases in 80 games and looked every bit like a long-term fixture for the club.
That creates a simple but tricky reality: Sanford was drafted one round after Griffin in the same class, and his clearest path runs right through the position Griffin may hold down for years.
There are alternate routes for Sanford, though they are not without their own complications. He has already seen time at second base, which could give him a way to the majors if shortstop stays blocked. But that spot could also get crowded if Brandon Lowe leaves in free agency and the Pirates shift Nick Gonzales back to his more natural defensive home.
Sanford still has work to do as a hitter, too. The added power has come with more strikeouts, something he is focusing on in Arizona. His strikeout rate has already improved from 32.5% in April and May to 28.7% after he returned from injury, a sign he’s starting to find the right balance.
He’ll probably need to prove himself against Double-A pitching before Pittsburgh starts seriously sorting out where he fits. Even so, Sanford’s rise gives the Pirates a good kind of headache. For a franchise that has spent years looking for real offensive talent, having two promising shortstops in the pipeline is a luxury - even if one of them happens to be standing in the other’s way.
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Kellers situation is complicated because the Pirates have other pitching prospects and rotation options waiting in the wings, so moving him could create both a path for another arm and some flexibility to address other needs elsewhere on the roster. Even so, the choice is not a simple one for a club trying to balance present help with future planning, especially with a pitcher who has already dealt with injury and still represents a notable investment. [Read more 🡒]