Is Trent Grisham the Secret Weapon That Could Transform the Yankees’ 2026 Season?
Grisham’s elite chase and walk rates are what make him the early favorite to be the team’s leadoff hitter on Opening Day. Now, you might want someone who’s a better contact hitter and baserunner to hit in front of the likes of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton, but Grisham’s ability to get on base makes him good enough with the current roster.
It’s actually funny to think about how Grisham, a perennial Gold Glove contender whose bat is the reason he couldn’t stick in starting lineups, completely flipped that script in 2025.
It used to be a given that Grisham would give you that defense, and while he still showed flashes of brilliance last year, he was really bad most of the season. He did play through a hamstring strain during the summer that killed his mobility, but the defense was suspect from start to finish. It’s concerning that a relatively healthy 29-year-old has gone from 88th percentile sprint speed to 32nd in just three years, but he managed to be a terrific defender in 2024 with a similar sprint speed, so maybe there’s still something there. Half the battle is instincts, which Grisham has in abundance.
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