Grady Sizemore
From BR Bullpen
Grady Sizemore III
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
- High School Cascade High School
- Debut July 21, 2004
- Born August 2, 1982 in Seattle, WA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Grady Sizemore was labelled a future star from the time he was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the 2000 amateur draft out of Cascade High School in Everett, WA. He was considered to be a first-round talent, but teams shied away from drafting him higher as he was expected to be headed for college.
He was traded to the Cleveland Indians on June 27, 2002 in what turned out to be a lopsided deal. With the Expos apparently headed for contraction, GM Omar Minaya took a gamble at making a heroic run for a pennant by trading away a number of prospects in return for established players who could give the team an immediate boost. Thus in one of a number of deals, Minaya sent three minor leaguers - Sizemore, pitcher Cliff Lee and infielder Brandon Phillips - to the Indians in return for P Bartolo Colonn( a couple of less important players were also involved in the trade). Colon did win 10 games over the second half of the year, but the Expos finished well out of the postseason and all three youngsters that the Indians acquired, including Sizemore, would develop into multiple-time All-Stars.
At his peak, Sizemore was a man could seemingly do it all on a baseball field: hit for a decent average, with very good power, particularly for doubles (he led the American league with 53 in 2006); gifted with great speed, he was a Gold Glove centerfielder who routinely scored over 100 runs a season and stole up to 38 bases; he also had an excellent batting eye, drawing as many as 101 walks in 2007. He made the American League All-Star team in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He was at his best in the ALDS against the New York Yankees in 2007, leading the Tribe to an upset with a 6-for-16 performance, with 4 walks, a triple and a homer; he added three more extra-base hits and scored 6 runs in the 2007 ALCS agaisnt the Boston Red Sox, but the Indians were eliminated in seven games.
After being one of baseball's most durable players from 2005 to 2008, Sizemore caught the injury bug beginning in the 2009 season. He played only 106 games that year, with a poor batting line of .248/.343/.445, then in 2010 was limited to 33 contests, during which he batted only .211. In 2011, he made three trips to the disabled list, was limited to 71 games, and hit .224 with 10 homers, 32 RBI and 34 runs scored. For the first time in his career, he did not register a single stolen base. He ended the year by undergoing knee surgery on October 3rd. Things continued to go badly in 2012, as on March 1st he had to undergo a "minimally invasive" lower back procedure in Miami, FL, his fifth operation in two years. That immediately set him back for 8 to 12 weeks.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 3-time AL All-Star (2006-2008)
- 2-time AL Gold Glove Winner (2007 & 2008)
- AL Silver Slugger Award (2008)
- AL Runs Scored Leader (2006)
- AL Doubles Leader (2006)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 4 (2005-2008)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2008)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 4 (2005-2008)
