Inside the Majors

The best young outfielder in baseball, a threat both in the batter’s box and on the base paths, nicknamed “Superman” by Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, all of this describes Grady Sizemore… in 2008.  So why then is a player so talented now being disregarded as an afterthought both in real life and fantasy baseball circles.  It was announced on Thursday that Sizemore will miss the rest of the 2010 season as a result of season-ending knee surgery.  This is just the sad end to an injury riddled downward spiral that has consumed the past year and half of Sizemore’s playing career.  Sizemore’s initial struggles can be traced back to 2009 spring training before the World Baseball Classic during which he came up limp with a bum left groin.  After what, by his standards, amounted to a very sluggish 2009 season (.246 AVG 18 HR’s 13 SB’s down from .268 AVG 33 HR’s and 38 SB’s), Sizemore opted for surgery in late September to repair a both hernia and left elbow issues that plagued him throughout the year, in hopes of being ready for the 2010 season.   Through the 2 months Sizemore was available this year, his old form largely eluded him as he batted a measly .211 with only 4 steals and not a single home run.  He will have the rest of this season and the off-season with nothing to do but ponder his playing future, but one can’t help but wonder, will Grady Sizemore ever be the same?

Recently retired legend, Ken Griffey Jr. was once thought by many fans and analysts to be the  future Home Run King and arguably the greatest of all time.  ‘The Kid,’ as he was known in his younger years was a lock for a 40 homers no matter what, year in and year out, until the injury bug struck during his second year in Cincinnati.  Griffey went on to have season ending surgery in consecutive years from 2002-2004, and though most certainly a future hall of famer, was never quite the same.  Sizemore is still only 28 years old, so the potential for a fully potent rebound is there,  but Sizemore’s legacy and the return on his once promising career is hanging in the balance.

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