The Braves look prepared to take a big risk at short.
When star shortstops Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa (the since-collapsed Giants deal) agreed to huge pay days in December, it became apparent that the Atlanta Braves were unlikely to retain Gold Glove-winning shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Those concerns were realized when Swanson ultimately signed a seven-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, leaving the reigning NL East champs with a glaring vacancy at shortstop.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is hoping to strike gold the same way he did with Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider — this time, with Vaughn Grissom.
Grissom was called up straight from Double-A in August amid injuries to Orlando Arcia and Ozzie Albies. And while the 21-year-old Grissom got off to an impressive start — which included a home run in his first big-league game — he struck out a third of his at-bats in September and was shaky defensively at second base. He had just three at-bats in the NLDS series with the Phillies, striking out on all of them.
Speaking on The Athletic’s 755 Is Real Podcast, Anthopoulos said he was confident that Grissom can be the everyday shortstop under Ron Washington’s guidance.
Washington played a vital role in turning Swanson from a plus defender into among the best defensive shortstops in baseball. So, if Washington says that Grissom can handle the role, you obviously have to give that endorsement plenty of value.
But with just over a month until spring training starts, the Braves’ shortstop situation could shape up to be the deciding factor in a stacked NL East.
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