Directory:Grady Sizemore

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Grady Sizemore III (born August 2, 1982 in Seattle, Washington) is a Major League Baseball center fielder who currently plays for the Cleveland Indians. A fan favorite in Cleveland, Sizemore was acquired from the Montreal Expos in 2002 along with Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Lee Stevens in exchange for Bartolo Colón and Tim Drew.

Early career

Sizemore graduated from Cascade High School in Everett, Washington, in 2000. A high school star 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 yards and interceptions with 16.

The college year was not to be, however, as the Expos selected Sizemore in the third round of the 2000 draft. The team offered him a $2 million signing bonus to lure him away from college. Sizemore signed and almost immediately began his rapid ascent to the big leagues. Sizemore was called a superstar by White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen and has been given the nickname "Superman".[1]

On June 27, 2002 Sizemore was part of a 6 player trade that sent him from the Montreal Expos (currently the Washington Nationals) to the Cleveland Indians. Sizemore was dealt with Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Lee Stevens for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.

Professional baseball career

2005

In 2005, Sizemore spent 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 supposed to be in Triple A, but Juan González's 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 Cleveland Indians history to record 20 doubles, 10 triples, 20 HR and 20 SB in the same season. Sizemore's best month in 2005 came in June when he hit .377 (40-106) with 4 HR and 16 RBI in 25 games. He finished the season batting .289 with 22 home runs, 81 RBI, and 22 SB. Before the start of the 2006 season, Sizemore signed a 6-year contract with the Indians worth $23.45 million with a club option for 2012. In the summer of 2005, a group of five women started a fan club for Grady, calling themselves "Grady's Ladies." They now have over 300 "Ladies." They are often seen at games at Progressive Field sitting in the bleachers.

2006

In 2006, Sizemore had perhaps his best major league season to date. He was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve outfielder. In the All-Star game he had two at bats and went 0-2. In addition to all of his offense, he also was a very fine center fielder making some spectacular plays in center, left-center, and right-center field. Overall in 2006 Sizemore batted .290 with 28 home runs and 76 RBI. He played in all 162 games the Indians played. He scored 134 runs, 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).[2]

2007 season

Sizemore opened the 2007 season on a roll, hitting 4 home runs in his first 6 games. He hit a three-run inside-the-park home run on April 27, 2007.

The May 14, 2007 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".[1]

On July 1, 2007, 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 only 6 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.

Sizemore ended the 2007 season continuing a streak of consecutive games played that is currently at 358. With Juan Pierre not playing on opening day 2008, Sizemore has the longest current streak in baseball.

On November 6, it was announced that Sizemore had earned his first Gold Glove, after he posted a .995 fielding percentage with only 2 errors the whole year and displaying his reputation for great range in center field and acrobatic catches.

2008 season

Sizemore's streak of 382 games played in a row ended on April 27 in a 1-0 loss to the Yankees.

Personal

Sizemore resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cleveland, Ohio, and Mill Creek, Washington. He is currently single.

Sizemore is the son of Donna and Grady Sizemore II. Donna is white, while Grady II is black. Grady has a younger brother named Corey. [3]

Career statistics and accomplishments

Stats
Season Team League G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
2004 Cleveland MLB 43 138 15 34 6 2 4 24 14 34 2 0 .333 .406 .246
2005 Cleveland MLB 158 640 111 185 37 11 22 81 52 132 22 10 .348 .484 .289
2006 Cleveland MLB 162 655 134 190 53 11 28 76 78 153 22 6 .375 .533 .290
2007 Cleveland MLB 162 628 118 174 34 5 24 78 101 155 33 10 .390 .462 .277
Major League Totals 525 2061 378 583 130 29 78 259 245 474 79 26 .369 .488 .283

Grand Slam(s): 2


Stats as of September 30th, 2007

See also

References

  1. ^ a b <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Verducci, Tom (May 8, 2007). "One Sizemore Fits All". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  2. ^ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Neyer, Rob (February 14, 2007). "Sizemore emerging as a legitimate star". ESPN Insider. ESPN. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  3. ^ Verducci, Tom. (2007, May 8). "One Sizemore Fits All", SI.com

External links

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