Among 59 outfielders who had seen at least 10 opportunities in center this season, Trent Grisham ranked 59th in sprint speed.
By the same metric, which measures a player’s top running speed, Spencer Jones entered play Tuesday No. 39 of 521 major leaguers, an elite athlete who would be one of the faster center fielders in baseball if he were a center fielder.
Yet Grisham was back in center for a 97th time this season, having played zero games in a corner, as the Yankees won the series opener 4-1 over the Mariners in The Bronx while Jones, who has moved all around the grass, was in right field.
“Feel like that’s the best way to go,” manager Aaron Boone said of an arrangement that speaks to the club valuing Grisham’s know-how over Jones’ sheer ability at one of the most demanding positions to play.
Grisham has only played center in three seasons with the Yankees after establishing himself at the position with the Padres, with whom he won Gold Gloves in 2020 and 2022.
But in those days his foot speed was an asset, ranking 18th among all major leaguers in sprint speed in 2020, when he averaged 29.1 feet per second in his fastest one-second window.
That number is now down to 26.6. Like a safety who can diagnose opposing offenses but lacks closing speed, Grisham’s limitation is most on display when he has to backpedal or race behind him for balls over his head, where the 29-year-old ranked dead last among center fielders according to Outs Above Average.
“He’s been having trouble going back,” said outfield coach Luis Rojas, who also pointed at the hamstring injuries over the past few years that may have taken a toll. “He knows about it. He’s working hard on it.
“But you can see, he’s really good coming in. He finishes plays coming in. … He’s got a really good athleticism as an outfielder to bend and make some shoestring catches or diving catches.”
A strength in charging and route running and a weakness in retreating added up to Grisham ranking 39th of 40 by Outs Above Average. A competing metric, Defensive Runs Saved, saw Grisham rank 58th of 68 outfielders who had logged at least 100 innings in center.
There is also the eye test, and a number of plays — most recently Thursday’s drive from St. Louis’ JJ Wetherholt, which Grisham could not reach, decided to play off the wall and then watched as it short-hopped the wall and scored two runs — also paint a picture of a center fielder whose legs are holding him back.
Which is not the only trait Boone considers when writing his lineup.
“Just really experienced at the position,” Boone said of Grisham, an eight-year veteran who has rarely played a corner in his career. “Generally speaking, routes, ball security, just the nuances of the position, he’s very good at.”
There are no guarantees that Jones, who most often played center field coming through the Yankees minor league season, would immediately prove as savvy if given runway in center. Boone also pointed to Jones having played “a good amount in the corners” in the minors as contributing to the alignment.
What it adds up to is the Yankees relying upon a center fielder who is older and slower than most center fielders while hoping that experience matters and speed, even a bit of it, can return.
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Grisham will not be among the fastest in the game again, but it is at least possible there is another gear to reach as he gets further away from his June hamstring strain and feels more comfortable going all out.
“I think he’s fully healthy,” Rojas said. “But [an injury like that is] always in the back of your head when it happens during the season, and you want to stay in there for your team, right? Grish is a guy who wants to play.”
