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The Trent Grisham issue Yankees fans should be concerned about
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- The Trent Grisham issue Yankees fans should be concerned about
The Trent Grisham issue Yankees fans should be concerned about originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham had a breakout offensive season in 2025, hitting a career-high 34 home runs.
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The Yankees rewarded him by extending the $23.05 million qualifying offer to the 29-year-old.
At the time, many fans argued that it was way too much money for a player who was due for regression. They may have been right.
Grisham has 18 homers this season, but his declining ability in the outfield and .211/.307.395 slash line are not impressive for a leadoff hitter.
On the surface, Grisham's center field defense is solid. But as FanSided's Rucker Haringey points out, he's having a poor year on the grass.
"Grisham used to be a plus outfielder, but his legs have really started to go. That's why he now profiles as one of the slowest center fielders in baseball," Haringey wrote. "There's a logical argument to be made that Spencer Jones should take his place at the challenging defensive spot. Don't count on Boone to make such a seismic shift at such a late date in the regular season."
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Grisham has -6 outs above average this season, placing him in the eighth percentile. He's missed quite a few plays that the average center fielder makes.
He's also lost a step or two, as Grisham's sprint speed of 26.8 feet per second ranks near the bottom of the Majors.
Grisham has two Gold Glove Awards to his name, winning his most recent in 2022. But four years have passed, and Boone needs to realize he's not the same outfielder he once was.
