No matter what happened when Atlanta Braves infielder Vaughn Grissom stepped to the plate on Wednesday, August 10, it was already a special day. Your first promotion to the MLB level can only happen one time. For Grissom, he had finally gotten the call he’d been waiting on since becoming an 11th-round pick in 2019 for the Braves.
Since then, the versatile infielder has been working at the minor league levels in the Braves organization, where he’s currently their top-ranked prospect, waiting for a day like this.
Making his MLB debut, Grissom was penciled into the starting lineup in the nine-hole, starting at second base. Clearly, Braves manager Brian Snitker wasn’t expecting Grissom to carry the lineup on his first day at the plate.
In Grissom’s first two at-bats, he struck out and grounded into a fielder’s choice. Nothing special.
Then in the seventh inning with Michael Harris II on base, Grissom connected on a 94-mph 4-seam fastball from Darwinzon Hernandez, launching the ball over the Green Monster at Fenway Park. Not bad for the rookie’s first hit in the majors.
Vaughn Grissom could stay a while
As if he was ever going to forget making his debut against the Boston Red Sox at a legendary stadium anyway, Grissom made sure his first memory at the MLB level was everlasting.
Grissom is the 98th-ranked prospect in the MLB top 100 and was making the jump from AA. He’s still just 21 years old, but if he can already send one over the Monster, this kid might have a good chance of sticking around.
The Braves currently have a need for another infielder due to the injuries to Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia, but Grissom’s already made a strong first impression with his newest teammates. We’ll see what else is in store for this prospect’s bright future.