Sir Trent Grisham’s Heartwarming Redemption Arc
There's something particularly awful about having one mistake being the thing that defines you. We've all had them to varying degrees. It could've been a job interview you missed, or the time you forgot to properly cook the turkey for Thanksgiving. Perhaps you drank too many Budweisers one night and thought it'd be smart to order a Peloton and now it languishes away in your basement, collecting dust as a constant reminder of your exercising inadequacy. Or maybe it was the time you traded Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows for Chris Archer. It sucks and people make sure you know just how much, down to the very last atom of detail, you blew it. That's what happened to Trent Grisham.
Before 2020, the young outfielder was famous for the sports equivalent of calling someone "mom" that isn't your mom, or your browsing history becoming public. In the 2019 NL Wild Card Game, with the Milwaukee Brewers leading the Washington Nationals 3-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning, a base hit to right field set up for perhaps one of the most infamous errors in the playoffs over the last few years (my runner-up being Kevin Cash pulling aManchurian Candidateand betraying us all when he removed Blake Snell in game 6):
Unless you were a Nationals fan, that moment is profoundly tough to watch. It's the kind of error you wish had happened to a player that had it coming -- a player that was seemingly bound for karmic retribution to snuff them out with the force of a million suns. What did poor young Trent do to deserve this? That would be his last game in a Brewers uniform, too, as he was cast away along with Zach Davies in exchange for Luis Urias, Eric Lauer, and a player to be named later.
Even crazier, if not for that error, the Washington Nationals never make their fairy-tale run to a World Series title, so this moment may also ostensibly serve as a scar for Dodgers fans as well. The Brewers aren't exactly the crowning jewel of teams that the state of Wisconsin is known for, but it stillstung.
It's all of this to say that, if you subscribe to the notion that having a "comeback" is more than just having a good season -- that there was more of an extenuating circumstance that you overcame, like an injury -- Trent Grisham, along with Daniel Bard's (who would go on to win the Comeback Player of the Year award)recreation ofThe Natural, were the best of what the 2020 season offered.
The actual comeback player of the year nominee this year from the Padres was Wil Myers -- and deservingly so, thanks to a .288/.353/.606 slash line, 2.0 oWAR (good for top-15 in baseball) clutch hits, a smidge of good luck not having to field too much, and all-aroundgood vibes-- but Grisham was a different type of comeback. A year after torpedoing, near-single-handedly, the hearts of Brewers fans everywhere, who would've thought that he'd follow it up with the antithesis of his defensive blunder: becoming a Gold Glove center-fielder.
Although Grisham's defense did come into question early on, though, with some disheartening blunders against the Dodgers early on in the season. But, of course, that proved to be a rarity, as Grisham's flurry ofremarkable playspropelled him to the award. Furthermore, he recorded 6 outs above average, moved faster to the ball (by an average of 2.2 feet faster in the right direction), and in just 1.5 seconds after the pitch, covered more ground than any outfielder in baseball, according to MLB.com. Yep, not even Mookie Betts could top that; not bad for a guy who went through a tragic defensive error in the playoffs just several months prior.
On top of all that, it also can't be stressed enough how much the Padres needed Grisham to pull through, especially after they traded away Manuel Margot to the Rays in exchange for Emilio Pagan, who turned out to be a fraud (i.e. he was very not good). Add to that Wil Myers' defensive ineptitude and an injury early on to Tommy Pham, and the Padres were thin in the outfield. Not only was his defense important, but it was important tothisteam, specifically. He lived up to every expectation one could hope for, and if not for Manny Machado and thatother decent playeron the team, Grisham's defensive prowess, uniquesign-language appreciativeness, and lovable (for most people)swagger, he'd be the biggest star the Padres have had in some time.
YES TRENT GRISHAM YES TALK YOUR SHITpic.twitter.com/VGcqSyrDF7-- Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ)September 15, 2020
YES TRENT GRISHAM YES TALK YOUR SHITpic.twitter.com/VGcqSyrDF7
The only thing, in fairness, that Grisham didn't do in 2020 was have a real playoff moment. Striking out three times with the bases loaded isn't exactly going to ease his mind when it comes to playoff performance. Grisham may not be a remarkable hitter, but his on-base skills and decent amount of power -- albeit somewhat inflated by a3-homer gameagainst the Astros -- should've portended a little more production; it's not like we're begging for a miracle from Austin Hedges here. But, alas, that's just the way life rolls sometimes, even if we're often begging for the good times to roll a little bit faster.
Redemption arcs are what we constantly find ourselves being suckered into in sports and in life. We may say it's cheesy and cliche, but be honest -- that's right, I'm looking at you, the one reading this -- you can't help but fall for them every single time. While Grisham's redemption arc wasn't as flawless as, say, the one found inAvatar: The Last Airbender, it was underrated and beautiful. Here's hoping we're all able to overcome the bummer of 2020 and have our own comeback seasons in 2021.