I like Verdugo out there. Grisham is likely just insurance for injuries, resting guys, and a late inning defensive replacement. If he gets as many at bats as he did with the Padres, it means something has gone horribly wrong. He's Harrison Bader lite. Maybe more durable, but with more strikeouts and an even worse batting average.
I don't think I can justify putting a hole in the lineup like that every day, for a fielder who tracks down less then 2 balls a game and doesn't throw anybody out...a "defensive whiz", whose defensive metrics took a big dive last year, for whatever reason.
Maybe the Yankees reteach him how to hit, I don't know. He did have a decent run at AAA in 2019, which is an outlier to all his other minor league seasons.
Soto's not a good outfielder either, but I think he does less harm, over in left field, then Grisham improves any situation in center.
Also, don't know how Judge increases his chances of getting hurt in Centerfield. He's not a diver (ie. Harrison Bader, Eric Davis), but he does bang into walls every once in awhile. Walls are further away in Centerfield. If just the fact of him covering more ground with his legs, puts him more at risk of an injury, they might as well just put him at DH right now, and fire half the rest of the team who are also competing for DH at bats...because it's inevitable it's going to happen no matter which outfield spot he plays.
I don't recall anybody arguing that CF is a high impact position. Guys will age out of the position, because they've lost a step or the ability to track balls as well, but nobody ends up on the disabled list because they play CF. Some guys play reckless in the OF, and will do so, no matter what spot you put them in out there. It's just in their nature.
If Grisham's bat doesn't come around at least a little bit from his last couple of years production, I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees just DFA/Waive him at some point, just like they did Bader last year.
|