Vaughn Grissom Shapes the Red Sox’s Mindset

“Some people watch the games; others rely on computers.”

That quote comes from Vaughn Grissom of the Angels. And it refers to the way he was treated by the Boston Red Sox.

He didn't hold back, did he?

The Angels player, who has been a regular this season in the MLB, isn't afraid to say he didn't get his chance in Boston.

He also says that the Red Sox organization didn't believe in him.

What you have to keep in mind is that in 31 games with the Red Sox, he was terrible. He batted .190 and didn't even reach base once in four at-bats.

He had an OPS+ of 33, which is three times worse than average.

Of course, injuries derailed the Red Sox's plans, and they gave up last winter. But Grissom talks as if he'd become an All-Star.

In reality, he's an average hitter. His OPS+ of 102 proves it: he's 2% better than average.

We mustn't forget that he was acquired from the Braves in exchange for Chris Sale. No one expected him to win a Cy Young Award in Atlanta, and the Red Sox wanted to redeem themselves.

It was in their best interest to get Grissom to produce. But that didn't happen.

We can agree that it's possible the Red Sox mismanage their young players. Grissom is one example, and so is Marcelo Mayer.

Mayer is happy to have left Boston.

It's also possible that the team relies too heavily on advanced stats when making certain major decisions.

But in Grissom's case, you didn't need a master's degree in math to see that he was a bust in Boston. And he doesn't have the stats in 2026 to back up what he said.

Oh, one last thing: Grissom criticized “the computers” right around the time his boss let Mike Maddux (pitching coach) and two other employees go because they weren't using the technology at their disposal enough.

Ironic, isn't it?

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