Grady Sizemore   |   Major Leaguer   2004-2008

[2003] - Baseball America 2nd team Minor League All-Star OF, Eastern League Rookie of the Year, Double-A All-Star OF, Eastern League All-Star OF, Futures Game All-Star MVP  [2005] - AL MVP (Voting Rank: #23)  [2006] - AL MVP (Voting Rank: #11), Played in MLB All-Star Game, Cleveland Indians Player of the Year  [2007] - Played in MLB All-Star Game, AL MVP (Voting Rank: #12), AL Gold Glove Award (OF)

Sizemore was part of the famous Bartolo Colon trade in which the Indians sent Colon to the Montreal Expos in 2003 in return for three of the Expos best prospects in expectations of the team being contracted later that year. Grady came to the Indians with pitcher Cliff Lee and shortstop Brandon Phillips. Sizemore was considered the 3rd best prospect of the bunch.

Grady does just about everything well except for throwing. Though still raw on the basepaths, he possesses good speed, range and his power seems to be coming ahead of schedule. He is also said to have excellent mental makeup as he plays the game with intensity and a blue-collar attitude and has had his style of play compared to Kirk Gibson.

His bulldog attitude and high-energy playing style is a possible result of his success as a football player in high school. He broke several school records for his school in Washington and was a top recruit to quarterback at the University of Washington and several other west coast schools. Sizemore decided to pass on football and he signed with the Montreal Expos for $2 million, the second highest signing bonus for a Montreal Expos player at the time.

After only 1 full season in the major leagues, Sizemore was signed to a 6-year, $23.45 million contract with a 7th year at an option price of $8.5 million. The option could increase to $10.5 million depending on incentives.

Notes: Won the Larry Doby Trophy as the Futures game MVP in 2003...Won the Lou Boudreau Award as the top position player in the Indians' organization in 2003...A member of Team USA in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Panama in the fall of 2003...Participated in the 2003 Futures Game during All-Star Weekend, playing for the United States team....Played in 1 all-star game during his career (2006).

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