plan is working

To the long list of Konnor Griffin’s best games as a first-year pro, add this one: On Friday night, the former Jackson Prep star belted two home runs — his first in Double-A — and drove in seven runs while leading Altoona to a 14-3 win against Harrisburg. “Sticking to the plan I’ve had all year,” the minors’ No. 1 prospect told milb.com. His aggressive approach has produced a .353 average and 13 RBIs in nine games for Pittsburgh’s Double-A team. On the year, the 19-year-old Griffin is batting .333 with 18 homers, 85 RBIs and 64 stolen bases across three levels. He has had three four-hit games, a four-RBI game, a three-double game and two three-steal games. Friday was the first two-homer game for the 6-foot-4, 225-pound shortstop. He has yet to go more than two straight games without a hit. … Braden Montgomery, the other Mississippi prep product drafted in the first round in 2024, is also enjoying a big season. The Madison Central alum went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Double-A Birmingham on Friday and is batting .307 with a homer and 10 RBIs in 27 games at that level. The Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 prospect is at .278 with 12 homers, 67 RBIs and 14 bags on the season. Montgomery, a 22-year-old switch-hitting outfielder, was drafted 12th overall out of Texas A&M. … Jurrangelo Cijntje, the switch-pitcher drafted in Round 1 in 2024 out of Mississippi State, is also in Double-A and has a 4.58 ERA for Seattle’s Arkansas club. The Mariners’ No. 8 prospect at 22, he is 4-7 with a 4.58 on the year in 19 appearances over two levels. P.S. Ex-Ole Miss slugger Tim Elko, recalled from Triple-A for the fourth time by the White Sox, went 0-for-4 on Friday. A .292 hitter (with 24 homers) in the minors this year, he is batting .136 in The Show. … Riley Maddox, former Ole Miss and Jackson Prep standout, threw two scoreless innings in his pro debut for Washington’s Low-Class A Fredericksburg team. … Props to the Mississippi Mud Monsters, who played Thursday night in Pearl, made a 10 1/2-hour trip to Chicago and beat Windy City 4-1. The independent Mud Monsters, now 47-47, got seven strong innings from Luis Devers (8-6) and two RBIs each from Travis Holt and Karell Paz. … Mud-sters outfielder Davis Bradshaw announced his retirement on Friday after seven pro seasons, six in affiliated ball with Miami. The former McLaurin High and Meridian Community College star hit .310 for his pro career, .402 this year with Mississippi. “I’ve cherished every step of this journey,” he said in a Facebook post.