Previously believed to be the obvious successor at shortstop, Vaughn Grissom suffered greatly during his brief MLB tenure and spent the majority of the year dominating Triple-A.
For a while, Vaughn Grissom’s MLB was an exciting ride. He was in High-A at the beginning of the 2022 season, shot up to the majors, had a fantastic start, and then collapsed. With Dansby Swanson’s departure leaving a clear void at shortstop, it appeared like Grissom would be the obvious successor over the offseason. However, Orlando Arcia was given the role, sending Grissom to Triple-A Gwinnett. Due to an Arcia injury sustained early in the season, he was essentially stuck there the whole year, only faceplanting when given a little window of opportunity.
How Got
In exchange for Grissom forgoing his commitment to Florida International University, the Braves offered him a substantial $350,000 bonus when they selected him in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. In the middle of 2022, Grissom leapt from Double-A to the majors after dominating the minor league ranks.
What did they hope to achieve?
Conversely, his defense was appalling. In 2022, Grissom filled in mostly at the keystone position for the injured Ozzie Albies and recorded an absurdly low -5 OAA/-3 OAA-runs in what was effectively a fraction of a season. It was unnerving to know going into the season just how little Grissom would be able to defend the easier position of shortstop, given that 2023 would probably need him to play that position rather than second. Grissom achieved a strong rate of 0.7 fWAR in 156 PAs overall in 2022.
Conversely, his defense was appalling. In 2022, Grissom filled in mostly at the keystone position for the injured Ozzie Albies and recorded an absurdly low -5 OAA/-3 OAA-runs in what was effectively a fraction of a season. It was unnerving to know going into the season just how little Grissom would be able to defend the easier position of shortstop, given that 2023 would probably need him to play that position rather than second. Grissom achieved a strong rate of 0.7 fWAR in 156 PAs overall in 2022.
Gwinnett, compared to just four in his previous 383 PAs. During that time, he also significantly increased his walk rate while decreasing his strikeout rate, possibly indicating the possibility for
other matters. Grissom’s 2022 major league experience included below-average exit velocity and hard-hit rates in addition to a contact-oriented style of play that might have limited his power production compared to what the Braves have been constructing and coaching up and down the lineup.
When you combine all of this, you get estimates for Grissom that are typically in the average to perhaps below average regular range, but given his limited sample size in 2022 MLB performance, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding his profile.
Results for 2023
What went well?
Grissom, however, destroyed International League pitching, so it was undoubtedly a better use of 2023 than if he had struggled there after being demoted to the minor leagues after making his Major League debut.
There’s not much to say on that front, though, as the waters were very difficult for him upon his return to MLB. Check out this Fanpost for some encouraging thoughts, or just go ahead and think about the fact that Grissom hit four home runs in his final 85 PAs of the season at Gwinnett, compared to just four in his previous 383 PAs. During that time, he also significantly increased his walk rate while decreasing his strikeout rate, possibly indicating the possibility for
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