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.