When the Boston Red Sox decided to make a trade sending Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves, it seemed best for everyone. Sale, who had battled injuries, could reset his career. Meanwhile, the Red Sox got something back for him. That something was infielder Vaugh Grissom.
It seemed like a good move on paper. Grissom filled a need at second base for the Red Sox. However, injuries and poor play quickly cut his tenure in Boston short. They traded him to the Las Angeles Angels on December 9, 2025, for Isaiah Jackson.
In the end, Grissom only played in 31 games at the MLB level for the Red Sox. He had a .190 batting average in that time to go with a .246 OBP, a .219 slugging percentage, and a .465 OPS. That came in 2024 before he spent 2025 in the Red Sox farm system.
Vaugh Grissom Believes Analytics Hurt Him With the Boston Red Sox
GettyVaughn Grissom with the Boston Red Sox
Vaughn Grissom ran into issues almost right away with the Boston Red Sox. In Spring Training in 2024, he suffered a groin strain. He wouldn’t be activated until May 3rd, before suffering another hamstring strain on June 1st. During that time, he struggled after battling illness and losing some weight.
By 2025, the Red Sox had seemingly moved on from Grissom without moving on from him. He spent the entire season in Triple-A, before landing on the 60-Day IL with a foot injury, which would end his season early.
Now, Grissom has had some time to look back on his time with the Red Sox and what went wrong. Interestingly enough, he’s seemingly pointed the finger back at the Red Sox for how they use analytics, not giving him a long enough leash to work through some of the issues he was having.
“I think I would probably attribute that to the computer, you know what I mean?… You have to watch the game and I think I’m damn near the same player,” Grissom said. “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.”
This is not an entirely unique claim made against the Red Sox under CBO Craig Breslow. Analytics are king. Another now-traded player, Hunter Dobbins, even had his dad shared, “People behind computers make those decisions,” this year. He’d go on to say they’re tying the hands of the coaches with analytics.
So, this type of criticism may not be new. However, it is a bit of a surprise to hear from someone who struggled so much with the Red Sox.
Vaugh Grissom Has Rebounded with the Los Angeles Angels
GettyLos Angeles Angels infielder Vaughn Grissom
Just because Vaughn Grissom struggled with the Red Sox doesn’t mean he’ll struggle forever. In fact, at 25 years old, he’s managed to turn his career around with the Los Angeles Angels.
In 78 games this season, the Angels have split Grissom’s time between third base, second base, and first base. He’s played at least 21 games at each of those positions.
Then, Grissom has also seen a massive turnaround on the offensive side of the ball. He’s hitting .254 with a .315 OBP, a .392 slugging percentage, and a .707 OPS. Grissom also has 7 home runs and 47 RBIs. They’re not All-Star numbers, but they’re good enough to stick in the majors, unlike the type of numbers he was putting up with the Red Sox.
The question is whether that would have happened with the Red Sox, or if he needed a change of scenery. With where the Angels are at as a team, they probably have more room to give him run than the Red Sox ever did.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Ex-Red Sox Infielder Vaughn Grissom Points Finger at Team for Analytics appeared first on HEAVY.