Vaughn Grissom’s big moment can’t distract the Angels from reality

When the Los Angeles Angels traded for Vaughn Grissom during the offseason, they hoped that moments like the one fans saw on Tuesday would happen with regularity.

Grissom essnetially complained his way out of the Boston Red Sox organization, but no one denied that his pure hitting ability could lead to success in the major leagues. Grissom's grand slam against the Detroit Tigers earlier this week was great, but Angels fans shouldn't let that cloud their perception of him.

Can Grissom come up big sometimes? Sure, he can, and no one should argue otherwise. But the balance of his career, and what he's done this season, has shown that the Angels absolutely should not rely on Grissom to be a long-term infield solution.

Vaughn Grissom is a stopgap solution for the Angels

Anytime a player has a big moment, fans come out of the woodwork to demand that said player receive more playing time or goes from No. 9 to No. 5 in the batting order. We can all be slaves of the moment, and when you have a shiny new toy that comes up clutch, it's inevitable that some fans think it could be the start of big things to come.

In Grissom's case, however, it's important to understand what he's been throughout his professional career. He can occasionally run into one and doesn't strike out a lot; and that's great. But there are a lot of harmless ground balls baked into his profile, and even at his best, he's never been one to impact the baseball consistently.

Even with that grand slam earlier this week, Grissom has only managed a .226/.306/.368 slash line across 122 plate appearances this season, while providing below-average defense. Does that sound like a player that fans should want in the everyday lineup?

The best way to think about Grissom is as a short-term bridge to cover injuries and to serve as a utility player of the bench. There is no shame in being able to play multiple positions and put the ball in play when needed.

The occasional homer or clutch knock is just icing on the cake. What that means for the Angels, however, is that they still need someone like Christian Moore to step up and seize an everyday opportunity quickly. By the numbers and the eye test, Grissom just isn't that player.

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