Blake Grimmer walked off the field in Chapel Hill unsure what was next. When Tennessee baseball was eliminated from the Chapel Hill Regional on May 30, Grimmer’s third season with the program was over, and he was now eligible for the MLB draft. He had a decision to make: return to Tennessee or chase the dream of professional baseball?
Grimmer, Tennessee’s starting second baseman in 2026, weighed his options over the next few weeks. There were moments when he thought he had played his last game in a Vols uniform.
But the process kept leading Grimmer back to Tennessee. He wasn’t sure his draft stock was high enough to warrant leaving Knoxville quite yet, and Vols coach Josh Elander had reiterated throughout the offseason that he wanted Grimmer back.
On July 1, Grimmer made it official. He would withdraw his name from the draft and return to Tennessee for his senior season in 2027.
“It was a really hard decision going both ways, but I love wearing the uniform for Tennessee,” Grimmer told Knox News. “Walking off the field, there were a lot of different thoughts going through my head. But I didn’t want that to be my last time in this uniform.”
Why Blake Grimmer came back to Tennessee baseball
The decision was difficult. A professional career is the end goal, but was now the time to move on?
With remaining college eligibility, Grimmer would need to know that the timing was right to go pro. A strong senior season could better position him in the draft next year. He was also only one semester from graduating. Grimmer never considered entering the transfer portal to look at other colleges.
Grimmer spoke with agents about the draft process while keeping in close contact with Tennessee’s coaches, who were saving him a spot on the roster.
In late June, Grimmer told Elander he was going to make a final decision within the next few days. After some final discussions, which included a hard look at his chances of being drafted and what he might get financially from an MLB organization, he decided that another year at Tennessee was the right decision. Grimmer called the staff to reveal the news.
“I felt a relief off my shoulders when I was able to tell them that I was going to be coming back because there were definitely some difficult conversations that were had,” Grimmer said. “I was ecstatic and so were they.”
He revealed his decision publicly with an Instagram post captioned “Rocky Top, let’s run it back.”
Grimmer is a key returner for Tennessee's 2027 season
Grimmer’s return provided a major boost for the Vols entering the 2027 season. Last season was his first as a full-time starter and he was a staple in Tennessee's lineup, hitting .283 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs.
Tennessee is bringing back many other key pieces from the 2026 roster. Trent Grindlinger and Levi Clark will share the middle of the order with Grimmer, and Landon Mack and Cam Appenzeller will spearhead the pitching rotation. Outfielder Blaine Brown is also coming back, as is catcher Stone Lawless.
Filling out the open spots in the lineup and rotation will likely be transfers. Baseball America ranked the Vols’ transfer class as the nation’s best, and they brought in multiple starting-caliber infielders that leave the Vols with a surplus. Grimmer said he would prefer to stay in the infield.
Grimmer spent about a week and a half in Knoxville this summer and had a chance to meet some of the newcomers, including a freshman class ranked No. 3 nationally by Perfect Game. It left a strong impression.
“I think this group that we have is able to win the national championship. That's always going to be the goal,” Grimmer said. “It just makes me even more excited to get back onto campus and start working.”
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Exclusive: Why Blake Grimmer turned down MLB draft to return to Tennessee baseball
