Trent Grisham had a career year offensively in 2025, but he knows his defense was not up to par last season.
So Grisham opened up about his renewed focus on defense and why he is setting a goal of winning a Gold Glove for the New York Yankees in center field.
Grisham set a career high with 34 home runs, picking on the short porch in right field through the 2025 season. He also set single-season career highs in runs scored (87), RBIs (74), total bases (229) and OPS (.811).
But with that renewed offense also came defensive struggles, since Grisham had a career worst minus-11 defensive runs saved — the fourth-worst mark among center fielders who played at least 1,000 innings, according to FanGraphs.
Trent Grisham is Focused on Playing Better Defense This Year
The Yankees won 94 games, tied for the most in the American League, despite Grisham’s woeful defensive year.
Grisham was more of a speed and defense player with the San Diego Padres, since he topped 10 stolen bases in three of his four seasons there and won both of his Gold Gloves before coming east in the trade that also brough Juan Soto to New York.
But Grisham, who got a huge and controversial, raise by signing his one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer, will need to be the full package for the Yankees this season — especially with prospects Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez breathing down his neck for playing time in center field.
With that in mind, Grisham is focused on cleaning up his play in center field.
“I knew I was down towards the bottom of that list last year, so I kind of took that personally this offseason,” Grisham told reporters “I definitely wanted to get better and get back to how I was when I was younger.”
Grisham was third in defensive runs saved (plus-10) among center fielders with 1,000-plus innings for San Diego in 2022 and was sixth in the majors in Defensive bWAR (0.9) in 2020. He’s hoping to tap into the mindset from his younger days to improve his defense this season.
“I didn’t go into this offseason and overstress on the defensive side of the ball,” Grisham said. “It was more mentally and putting a chip back on my shoulder to get that edge again. It’s more of a personal thing than anything.”
Injuries Affected Trent Grisham’s Defense in 2025
Grisham said he wasn’t quite 100% throughout the year. He battled a hamstring strain that affected his defense, plus a nagging ankle ailment that affected his mobility.
But Grisham wouldn’t blame his defensive struggles on injuries.
“Maybe not quite 100%, but it wasn’t really about that,” Grisham told the New York Post on Monday. “It was about wanting to be out there playing. I felt like I could do a pretty good job out there.”
Grisham made a diving catch against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday in another spring-training win. That the center fielder is playing his best for a team that is also playing well is the primary objective for Grisham.
“At the end of the day, I want to win baseball games,” Grisham said. “I think that’s how you get the best out of yourself. I want to win.”
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