Grady Sizemore

Grady Sizemore (born August 2, 1982) is an American former professional baseball center fielder, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians from 2004 through 2011, but did not play in the majors for the following two years after a series of injuries. He returned in 2014 with the Boston Red Sox and played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2014 to 2015 before finishing 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a three-time MLB All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and also won a Silver Slugger Award.

Sizemore was born in Seattle, Washington on August 2, 1982. His father is African-American and his mother is White. He 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. Sizemore graduated from high school with a 3.85 GPA.

The Montreal Expos selected Sizemore in the third round (75th overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. The team offered him a $2 million signing bonus to lure him away from college to which Sizemore agreed.

On June 27, 2002, the Expos traded Sizemore, along with Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens, to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Bartolo Colón and Tim Drew.

Sizemore received his first call-up to the majors on July 21, 2004. He made his major league debut that day against the Chicago White Sox as a defensive replacement in center field. Sizemore finished the rest of the season with a .246 average, four home runs, and 24 RBI in 43 games played.

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. Although he was supposed to start the season in Triple-A, an injury to Juan González before Opening Day secured Sizemore's spot on Cleveland's roster. He was soon named the leadoff hitter of the Indians' lineup. Sizemore 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-for-106) with four home runs and 16 RBI in 25 games. He finished the season batting .289 with 22 home runs, 81 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in 158 games.

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. In 2006, Sizemore was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve outfielder. Overall, Sizemore played in all 162 games and batted .290 with 28 home runs, 76 RBI, and a .907 OPS. His 53 doubles, 92 extra-base hits and 134 runs scored led the majors. In addition, he became the second in MLB history to have at least 50 doubles, 10 triples, 25 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in a single season; the first was Chuck Klein in 1932.

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".