Do the Atlanta Braves need to make a change at shortstop?

Vaughn Grissom's defense hasn't lost the Braves any games yet, but it's not great.

Author:
Lindsay Crosby
Apr 26, 2023 1:21 PM EDT

The Atlanta Braves have been hit hard by injuries early in the season, with pitchers missing time early and then position players joining them on the IL.

Among those position players was perhaps the biggest story out of spring training and the early part of the season: SS Orlando Arcia, sidelined by a microfracture to the wrist suffered against the Cincinnati Reds.

Acquired from the Brewers in April 2021, the veteran filled the utility role quite well for his first two seasons, filling in across the diamond (and even left field) as injuries came up and guys missed time.

But it was still a surprise when he was named the starter at SS out of spring training, as so many expected Vaughn Grissom or prospect Braden Shewmake to get the job. A subsequent contract extension (3 years, $7.3M) showed how much the front-office valued Arcia and the confidence they had in him.

And that confidence wasn't misguided at all: Arcia provided excellent defense early, starting the first 12 games of the season and committing no errors in his first 61 defensive opportunities. He contributed more than expected with the bat, as well, hitting .333/.400/.511 with 2 HRs, 7 RBIs, and a memorable walk-off base hit in the home opener.

Vaughn Grissom has been the man at shortstop in Arcia's absence, being called up from AAA Gwinnett and starting almost game since Arcia went down. The bat's been missing a bit of its power but adequate: with a .270/.308/.297 slash line for Grissom, he's definitely not the worst offensive contributor on the field (that'd be Marcell Ozuna, who is batting below .073 and has already contributed -0.9 WAR in just 55 at-bats).

But defensively - well, that's where we need to have a talk.

Grissom was sent down to New Orleans over the offseason, in three one-week stints, to work with legendary Braves infield coach Ron Washington. The "fungo king" told Braves officials that he'd get Grissom ready to play shortstop; Wash is known across baseball as an excellent defensive teacher and player developer, with multiple Gold-Glove winners crediting his pregame and offseason work with changing the trajectory of their careers.

However, Grissom's still not a finished product defensively: The youngster's committed three errors in just thirty-five defensive chances, with several other misplays not counted as errors but still extending innings and/or allowing runners to advance.

I'll be the first to admit not fully understanding what goes into most conventional defensive metrics, but no matter which one you look at, they're not kind to Grissom: His fielding percentage is .914, worst among qualified shortstops. His Defensive Runs Saved comes in at -3, while his Outs Above Average is 10th percentile in all of baseball. He just doesn't look comfortable out there, and sometimes struggles to make even the routine plays.

What alternatives does Atlanta have?

The first option is to stay in-house with Ehire Adrianza, as Atlanta did for Monday night's victory over the Marlins. The veteran utility man is cited as one of the reasons that Arcia won the job in the first place, as optioning both Grissom and Shewmake to AAA could allow them to keep him as a bench piece.

Adrianza filled in admirably on defense at shortstop for the evening, but also went hitless. He's a career .238 hitter with an .661 OPS, not the type of player who can give you extended run.

Option two is to wait for the return of Arcia: He just had his wrist cast replaced with a wrap, and reportedly is aiming for an early-May return from the IL. You've made it this far with Grissom, might as well stick it out, right?

I'm not sure if the return timetable is realistic - Nick Castellanos suffered a similar "microfracture" of the wrist that kept him out of game action for only twelve days in 2021, but it was notably on his top wrist, allowing him to still bat while it finished healing, whereas Arcia's is on the bottom wrist.

Option three is the other person who was in the spring training competition: Braden Shewmake. The prospect started off slow in AAA Gwinnett, but has been on fire recently, batting .385/.429/.731 last week with 2 HRs and 5 stolen bases. Known for his defense, the power production that's long eluded him finally showed up in spring training and has continued in AAA. His three home runs in seventeen games are almost half of his total in all of 2022, where he hit 7 in 76 games before his season ended in early-August due to a knee injury.

What do the Braves do?

I think this all comes down to the timetable for Arcia - if he is, in fact, able to return within the next few weeks, you can ride it out with Grissom (and occasionally Adrianza if you expect a groundball-heavy contest).

But if Arcia's going to miss another month or more, entirely possible when you factor in the likely need for a rehab assignment before he can be activated, it might be best to send Grissom back to AAA and give Braden Shewmake an opportunity to take the job.

Because defense is ultimately more important than offense at shortstop, given the current construction of this Braves lineup (and rotation), and Grissom just isn't able to provide that at the moment. And if Grissom isn't providing you quality offense or defense, go with the guy (Shewmake) that you know can give you at least one of those, and possibly both, until Arcia is able to return.

This roster is too good, this team too talented, and the opportunity is too right to sit back and do nothing: You've got to maximize your winning potential in every game, and Vaughn Grissom at shortstop, right now, isn't doing that.