Vaughn Grissom Aug 10, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom (18) hits a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Vaughn Grissom has made a big impression in his short time on the field with the Atlanta Braves. Recent comments away from the field are likely to stir some emotions and get under the skin of one of Atlanta’s biggest rivals, the New York Mets.

Getting drafted into any sports league is a major accomplishment and a testament to all of the hard work, time and effort you put into reaching that point. There have been instances of players not wanting to play for teams but rarely do you hear that from players in later portions of the draft.

Grissom, he’s been in the majors for just two weeks. But already has some vitriol for the Braves rival in the National League East.

In an interview with MLB.com, Grissom admitted that he was “glad” that the Mets didn’t draft him back in 2019, adding more fuel to an already intense rivalry between the two ballclubs.

“I thought I was going to be a Met, which would have been terrible,” Vaughn told Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Luckily for Grissom, he was drafted in the 11th round by Atlanta.

After starting his season out in High-A ball, the 21-year-old shortstop managed to grind his way up through the farm system to eventually earn a promotion to the majors from Double-A, helping the Braves keep themselves in the hunt for the NL East, trailing the Mets by only two games as of Friday.

Braves skipper Brian Snitker is very high on the young slugger’s performance so far at the plate.

“The kid can just hit, Snitker said. “There’s no panic in his at-bats. He’s a confident hitter just like Mike [Harris II].”

In the 15 games he’s played in the majors, Grissom has slashed .382/.424/.600 with three home runs, 10 RBI, and two stolen bases.

While he doesn’t say the reason why he didn’t want to get drafted to New York, Grissom was drafted in 2019 which would have put him under the direction of the Wilpons, arguably one of the worst ownership groups in MLB history.

Despite a few flashes of success in the 2000s and their World Series run in 2015, their tenure in the Big Apple was filled with a ton of controversy, including the prominent role they played as beneficiary and victim of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, never embracing the lack of a salary cap despite being in a big-market and for Jeff Wilpon constantly meddling in on-the-field affairs.

The pennant race in the National League is getting more and more interesting with the two of augbly the best teams in the league residing in the same. We’ll see if Grissom can continue to help the Braves win their second straight NL East title.

[MLB.com]

About Jasper Jones

A native east coaster via Connecticut, Jasper is a writer for The Comeback and Audacy Sports. He decided to head south for college, attending the University of Kentucky and graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism. Prior to joining The Comeback, Jones spent a year writing for FanSided's college football blog, Saturday Blitz, covering news surrounding the sport and recruiting. He spent the same amount of time doing some freelance work for the tabloid/sports outlet BlackSportsOnline. In his free time, Jones loves to cheer on his Kentucky Wildcats, collect sneakers, read a good book, and get in some gains at the gym. You can follow him on Twitter @jonesj2342.