NORTH PORT, Fla. – Matt Cleveland has coached baseball for two decades, but there’s one story that gives him chills more than any other. And it’s one that’s helping shape the Braves today.
Cleveland took over as Hagerty High School’s baseball coach during shortstop Vaughn Grissom’s sophomore year. But it was a conversation just before Grissom’s junior season that proved instrumental. He shared it with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“I was sitting with (Grissom) one day, and I told him, ‘Look man, this is like my 16th year coaching high school. I’ve coached high-level travel ball. I’ve coached hundreds of college players and five or six big leaguers. … You’re in the top-four guys I’ve ever coached. I don’t think you understand how good you can be yet. You’re a big leaguer.”
Grissom’s perspective, as told to The AJC:
“I think recently I had been in a little bit of trouble (believing), and he just was the first person to be like, ‘Yo, like, you’re a big leaguer.’ He actually told me I was a big leaguer and just made me believe in myself and forced that into my head. He was trying to convince me that I was a big leaguer, and that I had what it takes. It helped out, and maybe I didn’t even know that was a possibility, that he believed in me so much.”
Grissom wasn’t the main draw those days at Hagerty, an Orlando-area school. That was outfielder Riley Greene, whom the Tigers later drafted fifth overall. Yet Cleveland stressed to Grissom, “It doesn’t have to be just Riley on this team who could be a big leaguer. Start treating yourself like one. Start believing. He took off from there.
“I don’t think necessarily it was me (telling him that). I think he knew he could be (a major leaguer). But I don’t think he realized how good he was.”
Grissom concurred: “That’s accurate. I didn’t realize what opportunity was actually there. I was more of just a baseball player. I didn’t know the business side of it or any of the extra stuff like the draft. I was just trying to make it to college (he was a Florida International commit). He saw the big picture. With Riley and all the scouts coming, he knew what they would see and what I could be. I’m glad he got that instilled in me.
“At first we (Grissom and Cleveland) kind of bumped heads a little bit, but I saw he really cared for his team and my teammates. He’s a good coach. I think that’s hard to find in high school baseball, somebody who knows what they’re talking about and doing. He has a strong belief in what he does. His faith is great. He’s just a good person to look up to.”
Two years later, in 2019, the Braves drafted Grissom in the 11th round. Three years after that, in 2022, injuries opened the door for Grissom’s major league baseball debut. He homered at Fenway Park and produced a hot start that helped the defending-champion Braves overcome the Mets for their fifth consecutive division title.
Now, in 2023, Grissom is likely the team’s opening-day shortstop, an opportunity created by Dansby Swanson’s departure to the Cubs as a free agent. The Braves spent the winter pumping up Grissom. His work with infield guru Ron Washington drew public glowing reviews. It became increasingly evident, before the Braves even reported to Florida, that they were going to trust the now 22-year-old with this premium defensive position.
It’s not official, but it seems inevitable the team will give Grissom the reins and see how he fares. When the Braves start playing games that matter March 30, it’ll be on Grissom to keep the job.
There are plenty of skeptics. Swanson was a Gold Glove defender and replacing him was always a tough task, but some don’t even view Grissom as a shortstop long term (he played the position in the minors but handled second base last season with Ozzie Albies injured). He’s listed 6-foot-3, making him a bit unconventional for the position. It’s fair to wonder if his offensive output would compensate for what the team might be relinquishing defensively at the position.
Cleveland endorsed the Braves’ belief in Grissom, saying he believes the Braves’ faith will be rewarded.
“It’s just funny reading some of the stuff – I don’t get into it, really, or respond – but every now and then, I’ll read all these questions about him being able to play shortstop,” he said. “I mean, certainly, it’s a valid question. But all the people that don’t really understand baseball – the guy has played shortstop his whole life. But he’s also a baseball player. You could put him at first base and in a couple weeks, he’d pick up some stuff and make it look good.”
The AJC asked Cleveland if he’d explain why he feels Braves fans should be optimistic about Grissom at shortstop. While no one would expect Cleveland to have a completely unbiased opinion, he explained his confidence is rooted in knowing Grissom’s baseball smarts and his willingness to work on the game’s intricacies.
“If you don’t know him, then that’s a valid concern,” he said. “I don’t know where the question of the range comes from. Obviously, he’s not going to run like (Rafael) Furcal used to run, right? Shortstop is more about - I played shortstop – it’s learning the angles. You’ve got a kid that can pick stuff up very quickly, who’s a very good athlete. And you have Ron working with him. … They obviously have a great relationship. So between the fact that you have a kid that can pick stuff up very quickly, and is willing to work on it, and wants to be great, and then you have a guy like (Washington). Plus, (Grissom) always played there. I don’t have any doubt that it’s going to be good. What’s the expectation? You want to make all the routine plays, make a couple great plays. He’s shown that he can make great plays.
“As far as the range, that’s a high-level question that he’s just going to have to answer. And a lot of it is just going to be being in the right spot and reading swings. He’s got a high IQ. He’s a baseball player, that’s all he knows. If you don’t know him, it’s a valid concern, I guess, because that question has been raised. For the people that know him, I don’t think that there’s any doubt that he can hold it down. Now, it doesn’t mean he’s going to be perfect, right? He’s a rookie at the hardest position at the highest level in the world. But I have no doubt that he’ll be able to hit, and that he’ll be a good shortstop in the big leagues. And I have that much faith, there’s not a doubt in my mind, that he will be able to hold it down.”
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