The Newest Vaughn

[Fishy1]

If Valdez fields fine, then we suddenly don’t need Grissom at all.

Well, even if fields fine, Grissom will probably still be the better option. Grissom's minor league hitting performance is comparable to Casas. We're talking about a guy who was 135 wrc+ at AAA last year, 147 at AA, and 146 and better at A+. Casas, for comparison, was about 130 at AAA and 142 at AA. He could be a monster hitter. Valdez I'd project to be a league average guy. 10 war for his career would be a upper quartile outcome for him, I would think. Grissom has a chance to be a guy who's worth 3-4 WAR year-in, year-out, and better if his defense ends up being above average at 2b (which I'm not really in the business of predicting). I know we don't like batting average anymore, but it's hard to ignore that he never hit below .311 in a full minor league season, and he posted on-base percentages of .400 at every stop except rookie ball, ironically. For god's sake, the guy dominated the minor leagues.

Grissom:



Valdez:



I think Valdez is a guy who will probably be between 95-115 wrc+ for his career, but his defense might range from average to below average. If the patience he demonstrated in the upper minors never materializes, he'll also be on the lower range of that wrc+ spectrum and might wash out.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

Fair enough, my point was a tad hyperbolic, but if Valdez is suddenly fine defensively, than I don’t think the absence of Grissom will be that significant.

 

[CR67dream]

Fair enough, my point was a tad hyperbolic, but if Valdez is suddenly fine defensively, than I don’t think the absence of Grissom will be that significant.

I totally agree with that, but I also think they have enough options this year to be OK there for a short time regardless. As I said, I'm pretty sure given the position change they're not expecting the second coming of Roberto Alomar in Grissom right off the bat (ok, a tad hyperbolic myself, ) but yeah, I think as it stands the short-term absence of Grissom early on will have very little effect on the results or quality of play.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

I totally agree with that, but I also think they have enough options this year to be OK there for a short time regardless. As I said, I'm pretty sure given the position change they're not expecting the second coming of Roberto Alomar in Grissom right off the bat (ok, a tad hyperbolic myself, ) but yeah, I think as it stands the short-term absence of Grissom early on will have very little effect on the results or quality of play.

If Grissom ends up within spitting distance of Alomar, that'd be just fine.

 

[nvalvo]

If Valdez fields fine, then we suddenly don’t need Grissom at all.

Uh, yes we do. His minor league track record suggests a Pedroia-esque offensive impact. Valdez is a nice piece against righties, but Grissom should be a .280/.350/.420 type.

(To be clear, I’m not expecting anywhere close to Pedroian excellence on the defensive side. Just competence.)

 

[SouthernBoSox]

Uh, yes we do. His minor league track record suggests a Pedroia-esque offensive impact. Valdez is a nice piece against righties, but Grissom should be a .280/.350/.420 type.

(To be clear, I’m not expecting anywhere close to Pedroian excellence on the defensive side. Just competence.)

Yea, we’ve said this a lot, but because Vaughn came from outside of the system people are really underestimating the ceiling.

It’s very very high. He’s much closer to Casas than Valdez when it comes to potential.

I do think it would be very valuable to see Valdez for a few week. If his defense is just slightly below average he will have actual value moving forward.

 

[Rovin Romine]

I totally agree with that, but I also think they have enough options this year to be OK there for a short time regardless. As I said, I'm pretty sure given the position change they're not expecting the second coming of Roberto Alomar in Grissom right off the bat (ok, a tad hyperbolic myself, ) but yeah, I think as it stands the short-term absence of Grissom early on will have very little effect on the results or quality of play.

In a perfect world you have the classic "good problem" with two young, cost-controlled 2B by mid-season. But if it takes 4 weeks or so from the injury for him to recover, plus say two weeks in AAA to get up to speed, Valdez will have a month or so to turn this into a real pros/cons debate. Ultimately, I think Grissom has more upside, but that's not to short-change how valuable a neutral defensive Valdez would be with his bat.

 

[YTF]

If Grissom ends up within spitting distance of Alomar, that'd be just fine.

Nicely done.

 

[The Gray Eagle]

Speier has an article about Grissom's struggles and how he is in catch-up mode.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/14/sports/red-sox-grissom-catching-up/

Through nine games this year, he is hitting just .135/.135/.162 with very little hard contact. His limited offensive production at this stage of his first season with the Red Sox, however, should not come as a huge surprise.
Grissom missed most of spring training with groin and hamstring injuries. Then, after a nine-game rehab assignment, the second baseman got sick just before he was set to be activated, losing 14 pounds because of his appetite loss.
“Physically, he’s not even close to where he should be,” Sox manager Alex Cora said.

Grissom, 0 for 4 in the win, said he has yet to regain his appetite from his illness, but he’s still trying to force himself to consume protein and carbs (lots of protein shakes and steak) so he can take on weight and build strength.
With the loss of weight and strength, Grissom acknowledged that his bat has felt heavy — preventing him from having the same “whip” and life in his swing that he felt through the offseason and into the start of spring training. That, in turn, has left him cheating at times with his swing. He has been starting the swing early, an approach that has made it harder for him to check on pitches he can’t drive.

So why did they bring him up when he is not feeling 100%?

The Sox are mindful that Grissom is reduced, yet taking the longer view. For now, he’s contributed solid defense, and the team believes that keeping Grissom in the lineup against big league pitchers is the best way to tap into the considerable offensive potential that led the club to acquire him from Atlanta in the Chris Sale trade over the winter.
“He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do now and what the organization is trying to do in the future,” Cora said. “We’re going to push him to get at-bats.”

On the season, Sox second basemen have been beyond horrendous. .166/.183/.242 in 42 games. 43 Ks to 4 BB in 165 PA. Jaw-dropping stuff.

The other guys were also hitting worse than pitchers, so the hope is that Grissom feels stronger soon and gets going. If he hits .200 for the next week, that would be a significant improvement over what we've had so far from the position.