More Sizemore
With his next home run, Grady Sizemore will become the newest member of the 30-30 club, combining both power and speed in a season that puts him among the American League’s elite. In fact, he’s only the 52nd player in history to rack up both 30 bombs and 30 steals in the same year. However, Sizemore’s actually in even more exclusive company, as most 30-30 guys have been corner outfielders. If we reduce the list of 30-30 seasons to guys who played either SS or CF, we find Sizemore in impressive company to say the least.
Sizemore will be the 13th SS/CF to go 30-30, and the list reads like a veritable Who’s Who of the best five tool players in baseball history – Willie Mays, Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, Dale Murphy, Ron Gant, Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Jimmy Rollins, Jose Cruz, and Preston Wilson. Okay, so those last two names aren’t exactly Hall of Famers, but the rest of the list is the kind of company that any player would want to find himself in.
And, of course, it’s not even September yet – if Sizemore finishes the year strong, he has an outside shot at 40-40, where he’d join A-Rod as the only up-the-middle player to record both 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season.
Despite the Indians failure as a team this year, Sizemore’s having an excellent season, and has been the best player in the American League this year. Let’s not let his performance get lost due to the struggles of his teammates.
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So Sizemore for AL MVP? Oh, that’s right, most of the people who actually vote for that require that the player be playing on a team that goes deep in the postseason for reasons that never make any sense no matter how many times they try to justify them.
I think if Sizemore finished the season so strong that he hit 10 HRs and stole 10 bags in the final month to get to the famed 40/40 club, he would definitely leave a mark in minds of those who vote for MVP. His season ending numbers would definitely reach the level of super-outstanding (particularly with his CF defense) if he has that strong of a September, and he may very well blow the competition away enough to win the MVP on a losing team.
I think that the “MVP Voters are Stupid” argument would make more sense here were it not for the fact that Carlos Quentin has been better than Grady Sizemore, and if Sizemore got the nod over Quentin, it would be pretty unjust. Quentin has a better slash line, fewer strikeouts, and better counting stats. Sizemore’s defense and speed are considerably better, but there’s little reason to think that those two points have made him more valuable to the Indians than Quentin has been for the White Sox.
“Fewer strikeouts”? Who cares? That has almost no impact on who’s been the better player. And sure, better counting stats make a better MVP case in the real world, sure, but how does that amount to it being “unjust” if Sizemore was recognized for actually having a better season? It would be the opposite of unjust.
Quentin has a better slash line in 50 fewer plate appearances, and yes, that difference matters. In addition, Sizemore steals very effectively: 34 for 37, where Quentin is 6 for 9. When you add it all up, you get a 57.2 VORP for Sizemore vs 49.2 for Quentin. And then, yes, Sizemore’s excellent defense at a crucial position makes a big difference, too, and there’s more than a little reason to think that makes him more valuable to the Indians than Quentin is to the White Sox, even if you think want to put VORP aside and maintain that Quentin has been a little better as a hitter.
A-Rod’s a better candidate than Quentin, too. Ian Kinsler is close, though you can give Quentin the edge for playing for a contender, if you want. I don’t think that consideration is enough to make up the difference between Quentin and Sizemore, though. If you swapped the two players this year, Chicago would have the better end of the deal. That’s what “valuable” means to me.
Sizemore’s defense and speed are considerably better, but there’s little reason to think that those two points have made him more valuable to the Indians than Quentin has been for the White Sox.
This is EXACTLY what people are missing about baseball these days. Defense is EXACTLY what makes Sizemore more valuable than Quentin. Defense isn’t a footnote or simply the tie-breaker between two players with similar offensive production. It saves runs, and good fielders save TONS of runs. Quentin is bad in the field, really bad. In fact, he’s a poor fielder compared to all the other guys who get put out there in right field. And Sizemore is good, really good. He’s even a good fielder compared to all the other talented guys who patrol center field. Sizemore’s ten runs better than the average center fielder. The average center fielder is ten runs better than the average right fielder. And the average right fielder is ten runs better than Carlos Quentin. Therefore Sizmore is 30 runs better than Quentin overall on defense.
Is Carlos Quentin 30 runs better than Sizemore offensively? No way.
Someone must’ve posted this thread in Grady’s locker before the game tonight.