Braves have Ron Washington working with their potential shortstop: Vaughn Grissom

Ron Washington, the Braves third-base coach and venerable infield guru, is again house in New Orleans, maintaining with baseball information and hoping the workforce re-signs shortstop Dansby Swanson. However he’s additionally doing one thing else — intensive one-on-one work with Vaughn Grissom, prepping the teenager to take over for Swanson if wanted.

“I don’t suppose Dansby is replaceable until they go get a famous person,” Washington stated Tuesday. “However we will deal with the place. We’ve acquired (Orlando) Arcia, and we’ve acquired Grissom — that child is getting higher and higher day-after-day. He’s right here in New Orleans proper now, and I’m telling you, he’s bettering big-time.”

If it wasn’t obvious there’s a really actual risk Swanson will depart as a free agent, it ought to be now. The Braves despatched Grissom from his house in Orlando, Florida, to New Orleans on Sunday to work with “Wash,” the primary of three deliberate one-week periods designed for one factor: to get the 21-year-old able to play shortstop regularly within the majors.

Grissom is staying in a downtown lodge and understanding for about three hours every day with Washington at New Orleans Youth Academy, which is operated by MLB. Washington just lately informed Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos that he might get Grissom able to play shortstop by spring coaching.

“That’s why they’re giving me time with him proper now — to get him proper,” Washington stated. “Get him pondering proper, getting him to know the nuances of being a shortstop, the issues you need to do, the best way you need to go about your small business. You already know, he’s a younger child. A younger child that’s simply used to going on the market, placing the gloves on and taking part in. There’s much more to taking part in protection than simply placing the glove on and going on the market, and if the ball involves you, you catch it.

“So I’m taking this chance to instill as a lot as I presumably can in him, in order that after we hit spring coaching, if it so occurs that we don’t signal Dansby again, we have now some choices. We even have Arcia. So we’ve acquired some choices. However this child (Grissom) has acquired some upside. And we’ve acquired to have him prepared for no matter might go down.”

Washington added: “I hope we don’t lose Dansby. However that’s a choice Alex and Snit (supervisor Brian Snitker) have to take a seat down and speak about and decide on. However we wish to guarantee that we have now all our choices obtainable if it don’t go the best way we want it to go.”

Grissom performed primarily shortstop within the minor leagues however was known as up by Atlanta in early August and thrust into the beginning second base job after accidents to star Ozzie Albies and Albies’ alternative, versatile veteran Arcia. Regardless of having solely 22 video games performed above Single A, and solely 58 begins at second base in components of three minor-league seasons, Grissom excelled instantly offensively within the majors and performed regular second base protection, at the least initially.

However after hitting a house run in his Aug. 10 debut at Boston’s Fenway Park and carrying a shocking .420 (21-for-50) common with three doubles, three homers, 10 RBIs and a .660 slugging share by way of his first 14 video games, Grissom hit .220 with a .319 slugging share and .613 OPS in his remaining 27 video games, together with 25 begins. After having just one multi-strikeout recreation in his first 14, he had eight two-strikeout video games and one three-strikeout recreation in his closing 27.

And after taking part in error-free in his first 18 video games, Grissom made 4 errors and a few different errors in his remaining 22 video games at second base. Snitker opted to maneuver Arcia again within the lineup for the final 9 video games of the season and three of 4 begins within the NLDS loss to the Phillies.

Grissom nonetheless completed with a formidable .291 common, .792 OPS and 121 OPS+ in 41 video games and 156 plate appearances.

“It’s like anything, you need to know find out how to make changes,” Washington stated. “And he’s studying that. Like I stated, the child performed two years of (Single) A ball and finds himself within the huge leagues, ? So there’s lots that he has to be taught, and I’m glad that Alex has given us this chance to get him acclimated.

“It’s gonna be an enormous benefit for him spending three weeks with me down right here in New Orleans. It’s not three weeks in a row, it’s per week each month. So in December we’re going to spend per week, and in January we’re going to spend per week, after which it’s time for spring coaching.”

Swanson praised Grissom extensively for his efficiency in his first weeks with the Braves and the vitality he delivered to the workforce. The veteran rapidly took to the charismatic teenager, whereas additionally noting Grissom might often lose focus, one thing not unusual amongst younger gamers. Washington agreed with the evaluation.

“That’s the issue — he can lose his focus,” Washington stated. “However I can say this: It’s higher. In comparison with the day he arrived in Boston, to the day after we end work, he’s headed in the suitable path. And he’s understanding focus. He’s understanding how you need to be on each pitch. He’s understanding the issues that it takes to be a major-league shortstop. And that’s what I wanted to get with him to guarantee that he understands when spring coaching opens up.

“Whether or not he will get a shot at our shortstop job or whether or not we signal Dansby again, as I stated, we talked — Snit and Alex and us, we talked — and we simply wish to be ready if issues don’t go the best way we would like it to go.”

Grissom is a rangy 6-foot-3, and a few scouts have predicted since he was drafted out of an Orlando-area highschool in 2019 that he would finally outgrow shortstop and swap positions. When Grissom was thriving in his first weeks within the majors, again when most individuals nonetheless thought the Braves had been extra possible than to not re-sign Swanson, there was loads of hypothesis Grissom might transfer to left area as quickly as 2022.

However with Swanson unsigned and the value for any of the highest free-agent shortstops projected to vary usually between $25 million (what some imagine would be the Swanson neighborhood) to $35 million or extra in common annual worth over long-term contracts, the Braves is likely to be Plan B.

Arcia, 28, was a shortstop for a division-winning workforce in Milwaukee however has a slight .243 common and .664 OPS in practically 2,200 plate appearances over components of seven MLB seasons, with nearly thrice as many strikeouts (445) as walks (151).

Washington was requested about Arcia having expertise at shortstop and understanding the ins and outs of the place.

“Yeah, he does,” Washington stated. “However this child, Grissom, has acquired some upside. And we simply wish to attempt to get him prepared and a viable piece if we have now to. If we find yourself signing Dansby again, which I hope we do, this child can go on again to Triple A and play shortstop and be prepared.”

And so, the Braves are having their grasp infield teacher get him prepared.

“We’re simply going by way of the method of what it takes to play,” Washington stated. “All of the various things that you need to do. Your thought processes, the consistency of labor ethic, every part. Every thing. However I do imagine, as I informed Alex, after we get to spring coaching, he’ll be a bit that we will have a look at. He’ll be able to go.”

The everyday workday, as described by Washington: “We go about three hours. We’ve a session within the morning. After which we have now just a little time frame the place we sit down and we focus on issues — the way you do that, the way you do this. Then we return to work; we is likely to be engaged on some double performs, feeds, totally different ways in which you should utilize that bag. Work on balls going within the gap, the place you’ve acquired to proceed by way of a baseball as an alternative of making an attempt to cease and get again to first base. Gradual rollers.

“I imply, we’re overlaying every part. He’s doing an incredible job. He’s gonna be able to go by the point we get to spring coaching in February.”

Washington was requested if Grissom has the abilities to play high-level shortstop — the vary, quickness and arm energy, the entire package deal.

“Sure, he does. He’s simply acquired to learn to play it,” Washington stated. “And that’s what I’m doing proper now, educating him find out how to play it. A whole lot of guys go on the market and play protection, however they don’t know the way. So I’m taking this chance to show him how.”

Washington is thought for the set of one-on-one drills he does with infielders, many involving the coach’s adroitness with a fungo bat. That bat’s getting heavy utilization this week with Grissom on the opposite finish of lots of of day by day grounders and one-hoppers.

“Sporting it out,” Washington stated, laughing. “And I inform you what, we’ve been working for 3 days, and in three days, of all the bottom balls he’s taken, there’s solely 5 balls that hit the bottom (after Grissom gloved them). He’s choosing it up.”

It’s been unseasonably cool in New Orleans all week, with temps within the 40s and 50s, about 30-35 levels beneath what Grissom left in Orlando.

“However what, it’s thoughts over matter,” Washington stated. “And he’s been exhibiting up and he’s simply been getting it finished. I’ve been very happy along with his angle and the best way he’s been going about his enterprise. We’re turning him into knowledgeable.”

(Picture: Brett Davis / USA At the moment)