Grisham changing his mindset with fresh start in Bronx

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- An hour before his team played the Mets on Tuesday afternoon, Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham was sitting in the dugout at Clover Park. His smile made his feelings evident. He is happy to be a member of the Bronx Bombers.

“The way these guys treat players as an organization is second to none. I always heard about that around baseball,” Grisham said before going 1-for-3 in the Yankees' 5-4 loss to the Mets. “Being able to experience it for the first time, it has been really good. I like the group of guys we have here. It’s a great group. Of course, the history of the Yankees is special to anybody.”

Last December, Grisham was part of the mega trade that sent outfielder Juan Soto from San Diego to New York for right-hander Michael King, catcher Kyle Higashioka and three Minor League pitchers.

It’s a fresh start for Grisham. The past two seasons were miserable for him in the batter’s box: a .191 batting average in 920 at-bats. One thing can be said about Grisham: He is honest when talking about his struggles with the bat.

Grisham acknowledged that when he couldn't get hits, he sulked for long periods. It didn’t help that he heard a lot of noise from the coaching and analytical sides.

But after the trade to the Big Apple, Grisham did some soul searching regarding his swing. He decided to be himself and go back to the swing that allowed him to make his Major League debut with the Brewers in 2019 as a 22-year-old.

“I had to redefine what makes me Trent Grisham more than anything,” said Grisham, now 27. “I had to change my mindset, really. I’ve been down on myself the last two years when I struggled. … I just wasn’t in a great mindset. That’s what I really had to change going into this year – knowing what makes me and going from there.”

Grisham considers himself his own hitting coach. He believes he can figure things out at the plate as long as he is left alone.

“With all the new information in baseball, it’s kind of a war on what’s the right swing, what’s the best swing,” Grisham said. “And I started to listen to all that noise as opposed to being in the cage, knowing myself and knowing what works for me. I [changed my mindset] and went back to what I think is good for me. I’m just going to roll with that.”

If Grisham can get his swing right, he could be a valuable addition to the Bronx Bombers. Grisham is a left-handed hitter, and his power could play with the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. Despite the low batting average the past two years, Grisham hit 30 homers and collected 103 RBIs.

With the Yankees, it’s all about coming through in the postseason. Grisham showed in 2022 that he could be clutch in October. In the National League Wild Card Series against the Mets, Grisham was 4-for-8 with two homers, then followed that up by going 4-for-13 with one home run against the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.

With the Yankees, Grisham is expected to come off the bench and play defense in the late innings. Grisham has already won two National League Gold Glove Awards for his defensive wizardry. He credits Brewers coach Quintin Berry for teaching him the mental side of defense.

“I think he complements our team very well,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “His bat should play well at Yankee Stadium and, as you have seen, it’s hard to find quality center fielders in this game, and he is certainly one of the better ones in this game. He is going to benefit with this roster. … We think the bat plays better than it played last year, and we think here is more juice to squeeze from that. So we are looking forward to trying it out.”