Vaughn Grissom Is Heating Up — But the Underlying Data Demands Patience
Vaughn Grissom just went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI on August 25th, and his 7-day wOBA has surged to .385 against a 30-day mark of .303. At 2% rostered with zero ownership velocity, nobody is paying attention. That's exactly why WaiverScout is flagging him now.
The Signal: Real Improvement in the Approach
The story here isn't just the two-homer game — it's what's happening underneath. Over the last 7 days (31 PA), Grissom's strikeout rate has dropped from 26.5% to 22.6%, while his walk rate has more than doubled from 2.9% to 6.5%. That's a meaningful shift in plate discipline across a window where he's been in the lineup every day. The .385 wOBA over that stretch qualifies as a strong skill signal, not just a batting average blip.
Zoom out to the 14-day window and the picture gets more complicated. The .213 AVG and .286 wOBA over 51 PA tell you this hot stretch is doing heavy lifting to pull his numbers up. The 30-day line — .250 AVG, 3 HR, 1 SB, .303 wOBA over 102 PA — is a more honest read of what Grissom has been as a whole. Useful, but not urgent.
The Concern: Batted Ball Quality
Here's where we pump the brakes. Grissom's 30-day hard hit rate sits at just 25% with an average exit velocity of 85.7 mph. Those are below-average marks that typically don't sustain power production. Two home runs in a week is exciting, but if the ball isn't consistently jumping off the bat, regression is the most likely outcome. The data is clear on the approach improvements — and equally clear that the contact quality hasn't caught up yet.
WaiverScout Has Been Tracking This
We've had eyes on Grissom since late June. We flagged him as a Watch on July 20th at 1% rostered, upgraded him to Add Now on July 31st when the opportunity solidified, then moved him back to Deprioritize on August 3rd and August 17th when the production stalled. This is a player who keeps flashing just enough to stay on the radar without fully breaking through. The current signal — improved plate discipline, consistent playing time, a monster game — is the strongest case for him since that late-July window.
Ownership Window
At 2% rostered with no movement in ownership velocity, this signal is ahead of the market. No major fantasy publications are talking about Grissom right now. If the batted ball data starts confirming what the approach metrics are suggesting, the ownership spike will come fast — and you'll have missed the window. That said, this isn't a situation where you need to sprint to the wire.
The multi-position eligibility (1B, 2B, 3B) adds real roster flexibility, and consistent playing time — 31 PA in the last week — removes the at-bat concern that often kills deep-league adds.
The Verdict: Watch
Grissom is a Watch, not an add — yet. The plate discipline improvements are legitimate and the playing time is stable, but a 25% hard hit rate and 85.7 mph exit velocity put a ceiling on this breakout until the contact quality catches up. If you're in a deeper league and need multi-position flexibility, he's a viable speculative add. In standard formats, keep him on your watchlist and monitor next week's batted ball data closely. If the hard hit rate starts climbing toward 35%+ alongside the approach gains, we'll be upgrading fast. For now, the numbers say watch — and the numbers back it up.
If you're looking for higher-floor options at the same positions, consider Sal Stewart or Royce Lewis, though each comes with their own risk profile. Grissom's upside play is the approach — if it sticks, everything else follows.