ERIE, Pa. — Plenty of people have played a role in Konnor Griffin’s 2025 breakout campaign. One of the more underappreciated contributors can be found only a few lockers down from where he gets prepared before each contest.

Rated the top high school prospect in last year’s draft class, Griffin was more than ready for professional ball. One thing he hadn’t accounted for, however, was life away from the ballpark. At just 18 years old, he would soon be on his own, away from home for the first time.

Thankfully, Derek Berg was there to help.

“He and a few guys have been so helpful to Konnor,” Kim Griffin, Konnor’s mother, told the Post-Gazette. “Derek really took him in as a baby brother.”

Nine rounds after the Pirates selected Griffin ninth overall, they drafted Berg, a senior catcher out

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