Grady Sizemore
Grady Sizemore | |
---|---|
Free agent – No. 24 | |
Center fielder | |
Born: Seattle, Washington | August 2, 1982|
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
debut | |
July 21, 2004, for the Cleveland Indians | |
Career statistics (through 2012 season) | |
Batting average | .269 |
Home runs | 139 |
Runs batted in | 458 |
Stolen bases | 134 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Grady Sizemore III (born August 2, 1982) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent.
Early life
Sizemore graduated from Cascade High School in Everett, Washington, in 2000. A high school athlete in football, basketball and baseball, Sizemore signed a letter of intent to play football and baseball at the University of Washington. At the time of his high school graduation, Sizemore was Cascade's all-time leader in rushing yards with 3,081.
Professional career
The Montreal Expos selected Sizemore in the third round of the 2000 MLB Draft.[1] The team offered him a $2 million signing bonus to lure him away from college, to which Sizemore agreed.
On June 27, 2002, Sizemore was part of a six-player trade between the Indians and the Expos. Montreal dealt Sizemore, along with Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens to Cleveland in exchange for Bartolo Colón and Tim Drew.
2005
In 2005, Sizemore played his first full season in the majors. He quickly established himself as one of baseball's up and coming stars in center field. He was named the leadoff hitter of the Indians' lineup. He was supposed to play in Triple-A, but Juan González' injury in the first game of the season secured his spot in the major leagues. He also joined Roberto Alomar as the only players in franchise history to record 20 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Sizemore's best month came in June when he hit .377 (40–106) with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 25 games. He finished the season batting .289 with 22 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. Before the start of the 2006 season, Sizemore signed a six-year contract with the Indians worth $23.45 million with a club option for 2012.[2]
2006
In 2006, Sizemore was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve outfielder. In the All-Star game, he had two at bats and went 0-for-2. In addition to his offense, he also was a center fielder, making some plays. Overall in 2006, Sizemore batted .290 with 28 home runs and 76 RBIs, playing in all 162 games. He scored 134 runs to lead the league, had 190 hits, 53 doubles, 11 triples and 22 steals. His OBP was .375, and his SLG was .533.
In addition, he became one of only two players in MLB history to have at least 50 doubles, 10 triples, 25 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in a single season (2006).[3]
2007 season
Sizemore opened 2007 by hitting four home runs in his first six games. He hit a three-run inside-the-park home run on April 27.
The May 14 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine featured Sizemore on the cover. In the cover article, Indians' general manager Mark Shapiro calls Sizemore "without a doubt one of the greatest players of our generation".[4]
On July 1, he was named to his second All-Star team. In 2007, he had 25 home runs, and was 33–10 in stolen base attempts. He was one of six batters in the AL to have at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, along with Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Ian Kinsler, B.J. Upton, and Curtis Granderson.
On November 6, it was announced that Sizemore had earned his first Gold Glove, after he posted a .995 fielding percentage with two errors and displaying his reputation for great range in center field and acrobatic catches.[5]
2008 season
Sizemore's streak of 382 consecutive games played ended on April 27 due to a sprained ankle sustained the preceding day.[6]
On July 2, Sizemore hit his twentieth home run and stole his twentieth base, marking his fourth straight 20–20 year. He was the only AL hitter to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 20 bases each year during 2005–08.[citation needed]
He was named to the American League All-Star Team for the third consecutive year, and participated in the 2008 Home Run Derby where he hit six home runs, but did not advance to the second round. Sizemore participated in the 2008 All-Star Game and he played 11 innings as the game extended into the 15th inning.[7]
On August 21, Sizemore hit his 29th home run of the season against the Kansas City Royals, setting a new career high. On August 25, Sizemore hit his 30th and 31st home run against the Detroit Tigers, becoming the 32nd member of the 30–30 club.[8]
For his efforts in 2008, Sizemore was awarded his second consecutive Gold Glove (his .995 fielding percentage was second among AL center fielders).[9] He was also awarded his first Silver Slugger Award.[10]
2009 season
Sizemore committed to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, but pulled out after injuring his left groin early in spring training.[11]
On April 16, Sizemore hit the first grand slam home run at the new Yankee Stadium off New York reliever Dámaso Marté. It was his third career grand slam.[12]
On September 9, after struggling through a subpar season, Grady elected to have surgery on his left elbow which had troubled him since spring training.[13] Having the surgery performed one month before season's end allowed for more healing time and preparation for the following year. Cleveland was already eliminated from playoff contention by the time of his decision. One week after the elbow surgery, he also elected to have surgery on his lower abdomen to repair a hernia that was related to the groin injury which forced him from the World Baseball Classic,[14] thus ending his 2009 season one month before the final game.
During the offseason, Sizemore's girlfriend, Brittany Binger, was the victim of an internet hacker. As a result, several photos of Sizemore were stolen from Binger's personal e-mail account. Sizemore was near-nude in most of the photos, including the infamous coffee cup photo.[15]
2010 season
After playing in 33 games, Sizemore's season ended after microfracture surgery was performed on his left knee.[16]
2011 season
Sizemore returned to the Cleveland Indians from his microfracture surgery, after rehabilitating with Triple-A Columbus Clippers, on April 17, 2011. Sizemore went 2-for-4 with a double and homerun. The Indians won the game 4–2. Sizemore returned to the disabled list in May with a right knee contusion after sliding into a base. In mid-July, Sizemore was again placed on the disabled list following another injury to his right knee; shortly afterwards, he had a second sports hernia surgery, expected to sideline him into September.[17] Through 2011, he had the third-best career fielding percentage of all major league outfielders (.9935), behind Shane Victorino and Ryan Braun.[18] The Indians declined Sizemore's 2012 contract option.[19]
2012 season
After meeting with both the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners during the offseason, Sizemore re-signed with Cleveland, signing a one-year, $5 million contract.[20] Sizemore underwent back surgery during Spring Training, and began the season on the 60-day disabled list. A series of setbacks in his recovery from back and knee surgeries prevented him from appearing in any games during the season.[21]
Injuries
He has been known for his injuries that have kept him back from maybe having MVP Caliber numbers. Some of his injuries include his back, knee, etc. back in his early to middle part of his career with the Cleveland Indians he was considered as possibly the best current player with the Indians if not second. But his injuries started to keep his career back and some people don't think he can come back.
See also
References
- ^ "Grady Sizemore biography". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ "Cleveland locks up another youngster in Sizemore". Espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
- ^ Neyer, Rob (February 14, 2007). "Sizemore emerging as a legitimate star". ESPN Insider. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
- ^ Verducci, Tom (May 8, 2007). "One Sizemore Fits All". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (2007-11-06). "Sizemore earns first Gold Glove Award". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ^ "Indians' Sizemore misses second straight game with sprained right ankle". Espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. 2008-04-28. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
- ^ "NL All-Stars 3 Mgr:Clint Hurdle at AL All-Stars 4 Mgr:Terry Francona". Retrieved December 10, 2012.
{{cite web}}
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at position 13 (help) - ^ "Sizemore joins 30-30 club, Indians win again". USA Today. Associated Press. 2008-08-26. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ^ Hoynes, Paul (2008-11-06). "Cleveland Indians centerfielder Grady Sizemore wins second AL Gold Glove". The Plain Dealer publisher = Advance Media. Cleveland, OH. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
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(help) - ^ Beck, Jason (2008-11-13). "Sizemore adds Silver Slugger to list". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (2009-02-27). "Sizemore decides to sit out Classic". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media.
- ^ "Yanks get slammed by Indians in opener of new ballpark". Cbssports.com. CBS Interactive. Apr 16, 2009. Retrieved Apr 16, 2009.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (2009-09-09). "Sizemore's elbow surgery successful". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media.
- ^ http://www.sizemorefan.com
- ^ Smith, Ryan (2009-11-30). "Grady Sizemore Pictures: Naked with a Coffee Cup, But Are "Stolen" Photos Off Base?". Cbsnews.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ^ "Sizemore had microfracture surgery". Espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. 2010-06-05. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ^ Bastian, Jordan (2011-08-16). "Sizemore back to baseball activities". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved 2011=08-17.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Fielding % as OF". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference.
- ^ Bastian, Jordan (2011-10-31). "Indians decline on Sizemore, keep Carmona". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Bastian, Jordan (2011-11-23). "Sizemore couldn't picture leaving Cleveland". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ^ Hoynes, Paul (2012-08-21). "Josh Tomlin will have surgery, Grady Sizemore done for year: Cleveland Indians Insider". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, OH: Advance Media. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
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External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Grady Sizemore cover story: YOUNG MONEY Magazine
- 1982 births
- Living people
- Cleveland Indians players
- All-Star Futures Game players
- American League All-Stars
- Baseball players from Washington (state)
- Gold Glove Award winners
- Major League Baseball center fielders
- Sportspeople from Seattle, Washington
- Gulf Coast Expos players
- Clinton LumberKings players
- Brevard County Manatees players
- Kinston Indians players
- Akron Aeros players
- Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
- African-American baseball players