Vaughn Grissom Is Heating Up — And Almost Nobody Owns Him

Vaughn Grissom is slashing .333 with a .421 wOBA over the last seven days, and he's rostered in just 2% of leagues. That disconnect is the entire point of this column.

WaiverScout has been tracking Grissom since early May, flagging him as a watch candidate multiple times while the rest of the fantasy world moved on. We first identified a signal on May 11, again on May 30, and again on June 7 — all at 1-3% ownership. The algorithm deprioritized him during stretches where the underlying numbers didn't support the roster spot. But the signal has returned, and this time it's backed by a stronger data set than anything we've seen from him this summer.

The Rolling Window Story

This is where it gets interesting. Look at the trajectory across Grissom's rolling windows:

  • 7-day: .333 AVG | .421 wOBA | 2 HR | 7.4% BB% | 25.9% K% | 27 PA
  • 14-day: .333 AVG | .393 wOBA | 2 HR | 6.5% BB% | 19.6% K% | 46 PA
  • 30-day: .324 AVG | .366 wOBA | 3 HR | 5.2% BB% | 23.4% K% | 77 PA

The wOBA has climbed from .366 to .393 to .421 across those windows. The walk rate has jumped from 5.2% to 7.4% in the last week — a meaningful improvement in plate discipline that suggests Grissom is seeing the ball better, not just getting lucky. A .421 wOBA over a week isn't a fluke when the 14-day and 30-day numbers are both strong underneath it. This is a rising tide, not a spike.

The Statcast Question

Here's where you need to pump the brakes — slightly. Grissom's 14-day hard-hit rate sits at 33.3% with a 92 mph average exit velocity. Solid, not spectacular. But zoom out to 30 days and those numbers drop to 20.8% hard-hit rate and 84.5 mph EV. That's a significant gap. The recent power — two homers in the last seven days — is supported by the 14-day batted ball data but not yet by the broader sample. It's the primary reason this remains a Watch rather than an aggressive add.

The encouraging part: the 14-day EV of 92 mph represents a real jump from the 30-day mark. If that trend holds over another week of games, the hard contact data will catch up to the surface stats, and this classification will likely escalate.

Opportunity Is Locked In

Grissom logged 27 plate appearances over the last seven days — consistent, everyday playing time. The Angels have been experimenting with his versatility, as Fantasy Baseball Talk noted earlier this season, deploying him across multiple positions. That multi-position eligibility (1B, 2B, 3B) is pure roster flexibility gold, and the fact that he's cemented in the lineup daily removes the biggest risk factor for a speculative add.

At 2% rostered with only a +1% change over the past week, the ownership velocity is flat. Nobody is rushing to grab him. That's your window.

Alternatives at the Position

If you're shopping the same tier, Sal Stewart and Curtis Mead are comparable names at the hot corner. But neither carries Grissom's multi-position flexibility or his current offensive trajectory.

The Verdict: Watch

Add Grissom to your watchlist immediately. The surface production is real — .333 over 46 PA with a rising wOBA and improving plate discipline. The concern is the 30-day batted ball data, which hasn't fully caught up yet. If the hard-hit rate sustains at its 14-day level for another week, this becomes an easy add in all formats. WaiverScout has flagged this player five times as a watch candidate since May. The signal keeps coming back, and right now it's the strongest it's been. Don't sleep on it.