It’s been a tough campaign for Atlanta second basemen. Beloved starter Ozzie Albies was off to a subpar beginning of the season when he broke his foot coming out of the the batters box on June 13, 2022. The Braves have patched the position with the likes of Phil Gosselin, Robinson Cano, and Orlando Arcia. Of the three, Arcia was the only one even remotely successful, at least providing occasional power and handling the defensive side of the position well.
That came to an end last night as Arcia turned the corner at first awkwardly on a single and felt (and heard) his left hamstring pop. With a long IL stint likely and Albies not likely to return for at least another five weeks, the Braves will once again pluck their top prospect from double-A ball to fill a position.
The Player
Vaughn Grissom, IF
Age: 21
OFR Prospect Rank: 3
2022 Level: A+Rome/AA Mississippi
The Results (A+/AA)
.324/.405/.494
144 wRC+
14 HR | 27 SB
8.1 BB %
12.2 K%
The History
In 2019, one of the most scouted players in the country was Riley Greene of Hagerty High School in suburban Orlando, Florida. Greene was the proverbial toolshed — strong and fast with a quick bat who looked like a true centerfielder. He has been all of that for the Detroit Tigers, who took him with the 5th pick and made him their everyday centerfielder six weeks ago. But coming in on his heels is his old high school teammate, someone who also impressed those same scouts that came to see Greene, shortstop Vaughn Grissom.
Selected in the 11th round of the 2019 draft, Grissom took an overslot bonus from Atlanta rather than go to Florida International and reported to the team’s Gulf Coast League team where he hit .288/.361/.400. He was one of only two teenage prospects invited to work at the Alternate Training Site during the COVID-19 shutdown, the other being Michael Harris II with whom Grissom developed a close friendship.
Grissom finally got his first full-season assignment with low-A August in 2021, showing good bat-to-ball skills from the start though with little extra-base power while mostly playing third base with some shortstop and second base mixed in. Grissom suffered a minor injury in late June that cost him three weeks, but he used the time to slightly re-work his swing. Upon his return he batted .350/.438/.521 in 37 games, including 15 extra base hits, earning himself a late-season promotion to high-A Rome where he was reunited with Harris and hit .406/.523/.656 in his final 10 games.
After getting his first big league spring training invitation, going 4-for-8 in 5 big league spring games and generally getting the notice of the big league staff, Grissom returned to Rome to start 2022, and immediately established himself as one of the top hitters in the league despite being a year and a half younger than league average. Grissom hit .312/.404/.487 while showing all-fields power, hitting 17 doubles and 11 homers. The Braves challenged Grissom with an All-Star break promotion to AA Mississippi where Grissom has hit safely in 19 of his 22 games played at the level, hitting .363/.408/.517 with 3 home runs through last night’s game in Seiverville against the Tennessee Smokies.
National baseball outlets have taken notice as they reconfigure their prospect lists, with MLB Pipeline, Keith Law, and Baseball America all placing Grissom in their Top 100 prospect lists at mid-season.
The Report
Listed at 6′-3 and 210 pounds, Grissom possesses a physically mature body that seems ready to handle the rigors of everyday play at any level but could still fill out slightly. Grissom is the system’s best pure hitter with an excellent batting eye and quick and strong wrists that enable him to make adjustments and keep the barrel-head on the ball. He rarely chases pitches and makes steady contact; his 12.2% strikeout rate this season is the 13th lowest among all full-season affiliated-ball hitters. He likes to take the ball to all fields, though he has been pulling the ball more since his promotion to Mississippi. Grissom’s power is decisively in the line-drive department so far, even with his home runs, but his ability to consistently barrel the ball will likely translate into steady doubles power in the majors with double-digit home run totals as well.
As a baserunner he shows quickness and the willingness to push for the extra base. He made a conscious decision to try to steal more bases this season and has been mostly successful, though his first step is not as crisp as most other prodigious thieves.
His biggest question marks are on the defensive side of the ball. Grissom has shown good hands and above average arm strength, and its been evident that he has worked hard at shortstop over the past offseason as he’s shown a better first step laterally, making more plays and keeping himself in the shortstop picture. That said, he does not have the natural range or instincts of top shortstops. He likely would be able to fill the position at the major leagues, but it doesn’t seem likely he’d be able to hold it. Second or third base would seem more likely in the long run, and he is certainly athletic enough to pick up the outfield positions if asked.
What’s Next
The Braves have a whole stable of veteran infielders at AAA Gwinnett, but the front office for the second time this season has by-passed the safe option when an opening is created to parachute in their farm’s top prospect from the double-A ranks. Despite the Braves being firmly in the “contender” category of teams, this is about as low-pressure a debut a top prospect can have coming up to the big leagues in the middle of tight pennant race. Atlanta’s production at second base this season ranks 19th out of 30 teams, so if Grissom can handle the position defensively and provide some steady on-base presence from the #9 spot to keep turning the line-up over he will be a welcome addition until Ozzie Albies returns. Albies will take the position upon his return, so Grissom doesn’t have to even worry about keeping a starting role for now, just hit well enough to make himself a shoe-in for a postseason roster spot.
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