| Grady Sizemore once again looks for a free-agent deal while trying to put his injuries behind him. (US Presswire) |
Stop me if you've heard this one.
An extremely young but gifted baseball player makes an inauspicious debut in his first taste of the majors. Coming back to play his first full major-league season, he takes the league by storm, earning MVP votes at a very young age. By the age of 25, he has three top-12 MVP finishes, three All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger.
You obviously know where this is headed.
Grady Sizemore was on top of the world after his age-25 season. Up to that point in his career, he had hit .279/.370/.491 with 111 home runs and 117 stolen bases in 3,109 plate appearances over four-plus seasons.
Check his Baseball Reference similarity scores through the age of 25. It's a tie between the beloved Barry Bonds and Hall-of-Famer Duke Snider. Throw in his line at the age of 26, a good-for-many-but-not-for-him .248/.343/.445, and Sizemore matches Bonds in OBP (.367) and SLG (.485) with just 20 more at-bats through that age.
That was at the end of the 2009 season. Just three years later, it's almost impossible to believe that Sizemore is an afterthought on the free agent market.
Starting in 2010, Sizemore couldn't stay on the field, playing just 33 games with the Indians in 2010 and 71 games in 2011 before missing all of 2012 after back and knee surgeries. He previously had surgery on his other knee as well as sports hernia surgery, making him quite literally damaged goods.
He had to settle for a one-year deal last offseason after playing just 71 games, and that was after several teams reportedly showed interest during the offseason. This year, after confirming he's going to try to play in 2013, teams have been slow to show interest. This for a 30-year-old who after five seasons was most comparable to Barry freakin' Bonds.
Will Sizemore manage to make it on the field in 2013 and, more importantly, stay there? If he does, it'll be on a one-year deal with a base salary that doesn't amount to much but could potentially be laced with incentives. Once teams start losing out in the outfield market, Sizemore might find himself with a suitor or two, more out of desperation than a belief he can stay healthy.
However, it wouldn't be the first time that a guy whom everyone thought was down and out came back and surprised with a healthy, productive season. All he needs is an opportunity.
Potential suitors: Red Sox, Astros, Phillies, Indians, Mets, Giants
Long shots: Braves, Yankees, Mariners, Reds, Dodgers, Marlins
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