Best gift ever? Grissom Jr. drafted by Nats on 21st birthday
Jessica Camerato
@jessicacameratoWASHINGTON -- What a way to celebrate a birthday.
Georgia Tech right-hander Marquis Grissom Jr. was selected by the Nationals in the 13th round (No. 381 overall pick) of the MLB Draft on Tuesday, the day he turned 21 years old.
His name already is familiar in the Major Leagues: Grissom Jr.’s father, Marquis, had an award-filled 17-year career. He played his first six seasons with the Expos (1989-94).
“People tell me I have a lot of expectations to live up to,” Grissom Jr. said in 2019. “But I’m just trying to make my own name.”
Unlike his outfielder dad, Grissom gets his work done on the mound. This season, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound righty went 4-5 with a 5.75 ERA in 18 games (14 starts). Grissom recorded 57 strikeouts in 61 frames (8.4 K/9).
He put an exclamation mark on his sophomore year with a personal-best 10 strikeouts over six innings in his third-to-last appearance of the season on May 20 against Pittsburgh.
In high school at the Counterpane School, Grissom was ranked as the No. 4 pitcher in Georgia and No. 11 nationwide. His collegiate debut in 2020 was delayed until mid-April that year because of a preseason back injury.
Grissom is the second player selected out of Georgia Tech by the Nationals this week. His teammate and fellow right-hander Chance Huff was drafted in the eighth round (No. 231) on Monday. Both were scouted by Tommy Jackson. There is a possibility Grissom could opt to return to college for next season, too.
The Nats drafted a prospect from a baseball family for the second year in a row. Last season, they picked second baseman Darren Baker in the 10th round of the 2021 Draft. He is the son of Astros manager and former Nationals manager Dusty Baker. They also signed left-hander Peyton Glavine, son of Hall of Famer Tom, to a Minor League deal last August.