Vaughn Grissom isn’t sounding like a player eager to leave Boston’s front office off the hook.
The 25-year-old, now getting regular run with the Angels, took a direct swipe at the Red Sox this week and suggested the organization never really gave him a fair opportunity. In comments to Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald, Grissom said he hasn’t changed much since Boston moved him, and pointed the finger at a decision-making process he believes leaned too hard on the numbers.
“I think I would probably attribute that to the computer, you know what I mean?” Grissom said.
“You have to watch the game and I think I’m damn near the same player, it’s just the opportunity, these people believe in me and in Boston there was no belief in the player. It is what it is, some people watch the game, some people go on the computer.”
That’s a pretty blunt message, especially coming from a player the Red Sox once acquired in a major deal with Atlanta involving ace Chris Sale, then later shipped to Los Angeles for outfield prospect Isaiah Jackson. It also lands at a time when Boston’s handling of the second base spot has already drawn scrutiny.
Grissom was passed over last spring when Kristian Campbell, then a rookie, surged into the starting second base job after only one full minor-league season. That move hasn’t aged well for the Red Sox. Even with Campbell back in Triple-A, Boston still has other names it would rather turn to than Grissom, including trade addition Curtis Mead once he returns from a broken wrist.
Still, Grissom made it clear he believes the Red Sox misread him.
“Yeah, I don’t know, maybe I don’t look the best on paper but you watch enough and you see what the player is bringing,” Grissom told Cerullo.
The production with the Angels has been better with steady playing time, but it’s not exactly a franchise-altering breakout. In 78 games, Grissom is hitting .254/.315/.392 with a 102 OPS+, seven home runs, and negative-5 defensive runs saved across three positions. That adds up to 0.5 bWAR.
So yes, he’s been a useful player. No, this doesn’t look like the kind of season that should keep the Red Sox awake at night wondering if they let go of a future star.
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