Vaughn Grissom is one of the most exciting hitting prospects in the Braves minor league system and he has made a quick impression on the organization with his play and his talent. The young shortstop made his professional debut last season and crushed in the Gulf Coast League leading him to being one of four 2019 draftees to play at the alternate site.
What Went Right in 2020
Just being added to the player pool is a sign of the high hopes the Braves have for Grissom, but his play there further opened eyes for what type of player he could be. Grissom by all reports excelled at the alternate site and was one of a few players who were able to increase their stock despite not having any playing time in official games. He has still yet to turn 20 years old but has already set himself up as one of the major steals the Braves got out of last season’s draft. Grissom is still a long way from the major leagues, but he has possibly set himself up for a quicker rise than one would typically expect from an 11th round high school bat. Being able to work with higher level defensive coaches and peers could also be a benefit for a player whose biggest question mark is his ultimate defensive home and hopefully it’s helped him on the path to sticking at shortstop long term.
What Went Wrong in 2020
Other than not getting a full season to develop there really isn’t anything to complain about from Grissom. Maybe the biggest deal for Grissom is having less of an opportunity to institute the tweaks the Braves made to his swing mechanics, but ultimately I think his off field work is plenty to make that point moot.
What to Expect in 2021
Grissom will be an interesting case for the start of next season. In all likelihood he was headed to Rome for 2020, but he still progressed enough without that that it’s possible he is already ready to make the leap up to High-A. I would predict we see Grissom spend at least a month in Rome in 2021 but wouldn’t be surprised to see the Braves push him very very early up to High-A. I doubt Low-A will be much of a challenge for him with the bat as he’s advanced enough to handle that level quite well offensively. Checking his defensive progression will be of keen interest, as all signs point to him eventually moving to third base but there’s no guarantee there and the Braves are still running him out as a shortstop. There’s a better than 50% chance he ends up in the top 10 of the system by year end, maybe even as high as 6 or 7, and he’s possible going to be pushing that already in our preseason list.