Checking in on shortstop Vaughn Grissom
Going into the 2023 season, the Braves lost out on the Dansby Swanson sweepstakes to the Chicago Cubs. That meant that either Vaughn Grissom or Orlando Arcia would be the starting shortstop for the Atlanta Braves. Grissom was hailed as one of the best prospects in the Braves farm system but he was unproven at the major league level.
In his 19 games for the Braves this year, his bat was not an issue. Grissom had a .277 batting average, a .314 OBP, and a .622 OPS. Fielding was his biggest issue. Grissom only had a .905 fielding percentage. His total fielding runs above average was a whopping -7. Six errors in 19 games are not good at all. Add to that the fact that Arcia was on fire at the plate and in the field led to Grissom being sent back down to AAA.
How would he respond to being sent back down to the minor leagues? It has not affected his hitting at all. Grissom has been on a tear in July and August. He had a season-high.333 batting average in July with eight doubles, two homers, and 13 RBI.
Of course, those stats would raise the question "Why didn't the Braves try to trade him for a starting pitcher?" His stock was as high as it could possibly be and Atlanta had a need for a starter, but AA couldn't find a good trade for him.
He ramped up his production even more in August as he raised his batting average to .417 with a .542 on-base percentage and a 1.264 OPS. I'm not sure when or if we will get to see him in Atlanta again, but it's great to see his production has not dropped off.
So his hitting has improved, but what about his defense? He's played 60 games at SS and 28 at 2B for Gwinnett, with a .991 fielding percentage. He has made 1 error in 112 defensive chances at 2nd base and a .969 fielding and 7 errors in 229 chances at short. So he is still struggling at short but he has been great at second base. Maybe he should be moved there.
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