Pirates GM Ben Cherington Addresses Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin and More

Cherington discusses the Pirates' 0-2 start, Cruz's play, and the team's minor league depth.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 7:36pm

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In his first weekly radio show of the season, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington addressed the team's 0-2 start, Oneil Cruz's defensive struggles, and the depth of the team's minor league system, including top prospect Konnor Griffin at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Why it matters

The Pirates are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season, and Cherington's comments provide insight into the team's priorities and the development of key players like Cruz and Griffin. The team's minor league depth could also be crucial in helping the major league club improve.

The details

Cherington acknowledged the Pirates didn't execute the 'simple things' well enough in their opening games, leading to mistakes like Cruz's defensive miscues. However, he was encouraged by the team's improved play on Saturday. Cherington praised Cruz's offseason work and the team's response, focusing on 'what's next' rather than dwelling on the mistakes. At the minor league level, Cherington is excited about the depth of talent at Triple-A Indianapolis, including prospects like Jhostynxon Garcia, Termarr Johnson, and the team's top prospect, Konnor Griffin, who will be challenged by more advanced pitching as he continues to develop.

  • The radio show was broadcast before Sunday's series finale against the New York Mets.
  • The Pirates opened the season 0-2.

The players

Ben Cherington

The general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who is hosting a weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan.

Oneil Cruz

A Pirates player who misplayed two balls in center field on opening day, a major factor in the team's struggles.

Konnor Griffin

The Pirates' top prospect, who is starting the season at Triple-A Indianapolis and will be challenged by more advanced pitching as he continues to develop.

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What they’re saying

“'Every pitch matters. Game one — we talk about doing the simple things well, and you've got to own the processes and preparation in order to do the simple things well — we didn't do enough 'simple' well in game one. We walked nine guys and didn't play crisp defensively and there's a lot of things that happened. And we didn't do 'simple' well enough.'”

— Ben Cherington, Pirates General Manager

“'Yesterday was an improvement, I thought. We did more 'simple' well, but not enough still. When you do a little bit more, we can compete with a team like the Mets, that's a really good team, but we didn't do quite enough.'”

— Ben Cherington, Pirates General Manager

“'He wants to be great. You go back to the offseason, I happen to know — because we were getting daily updates and video updates — I happen to know the level of work he put in, both in the Dominican and then, when he moved to Florida later in the offseason, just the amount of time he was spending on the physical preparation, but also specifically the defensive game.'”

— Ben Cherington, Pirates General Manager

What’s next

Cherington will be closely monitoring Konnor Griffin's progress at Triple-A Indianapolis, particularly how he adapts to facing more advanced pitching.

The takeaway

The Pirates are focused on improving their execution of the 'simple things' and developing their strong minor league talent, including top prospect Konnor Griffin, to help the major league club bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season.