Grady Sizemore is ridiculously overrated and gets by solely on hustle. His .277 average should be one of many indicators that he can't compete against his closest, but lesser known challenger Curtis Granderson.
Granderson is entering his peak year this season at 27. He has to improve upon his run total of 122 last year (Sizemore had 118) with the additions of Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria. Cabrera had a .320-34-119 season with the lowly Marlins, and should improve upon those numbers, benefitting Granderson. Curtis will see more pitches to hit with the new lineup protection and should eclipse 25 HR.
Sizemore had 24 longballs last year, and will not get pitches to hit with Travis Hafner coming off a dismal year. Also, with more lineup depth, Granderson should improve upon his RBI totals. If you look at Detroit, they might not have any fringe players in their lineup. Pudge Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen, Placido Polanco, Jacque Jones, all of these guys are quality major leaguers who should get on base for Granderson at a regular clip.
Also, when its Granderson on the base paths, he stole 25 bases but was only nabbed once. Curtis also rapped out 23 triples and got on base via hit 185 times. Granderson is prepped to deliver a great season.
Grady Sizemore has always been a hard-nosed centerfielder who could always be relied on for a clutch steal or hit. But he's over-hyped and gets too much credit for his web gems and guts.
Sizemore hit .277 with 24 HR, 78 RBI, 118 R, and 33 SB. Not too shabby, but it doesn't constitute a second rounder. Actually, why not draft a power first sacker in the second round and wait until the 3rd/4th round when Granderson usually goes to get him.
Simply put, Sizemore will get picked higher because of exposure. Curtis was an impact player for the Tigers, and will improve upon his '07 numbers.
Granderson is older, and has more pro experience, meaning he has more of a chance to breakout.
Sizemore has taken big hits from walls and dives and his body has to start collapsing soon. I can't predict an indefinite healthy season for Grady, and Granderson is much more durable.
Also, Curtis need not worry about losing his job to top prospect Cameron Maybin, now a Marlin.
Curtis Granderson is a better player than Grady Sizemore. Isn't life Grand?
6 comments Last one added 3 months ago — Leave a Comment
Samantha Bunten about 1 year ago
I have to disagree with you on this. While there is no denying that Granderson is a comparable player to Sizemore, you can't say he is superior and Sizemore is overrated when Sizemore's stats are better than Granderson's in nearly every category. You are basing your statement on what you think Granderson can do this year. The numbers don't back up the argument. For example, you point out Granderson's 25 steals and imply that this makes him the superior player, yet Sizemore swiped 33 bags last year. And for the sake of accuracy, Granderson snagged 26 steals last year, not 25.
Saying Sizemore's body "has to start collapsing soon" is ridiculous. Why? Because he plays hard? Sizemore has never been injured. He played in all 162 games last year without a trip to the DL. How on earth do you claim to back up your statement that Granderson is more durable? Further, you also stated that this hard nosed play causes Sizemore to be overrated. Your opinion is exactly what is wrong with baseball today. We wouldn't want anyone trying too hard...
Last, you say Sizemore won't get pitches to hit because Hafner had a bad season? Sizemore bats first. Hafner doesnt hit behind him, he bats third. The two things are mutually exclusive.
Sizemore isn't flawless, certainly. He needs to cut down on his strikeouts, for one. But to say he is overrated, and say Granderson is better based on numbers you THINK Granderson will put up is an argument that doesn't hold water. Should Granderson eclipse Sizemore this season, I would be happy to congratulate you later on your excellent foresight. Until then, don't count your Tigers before they hatch.
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Eli Nachmany about 1 year ago
I was merely implying that Granderson is more durable than Sizemore will be this season. You see, Granderson doesn't play as hard as Sizemore. And while it's good to play hard, I was just saying it takes a toll on his body that should start to show in 2008. I apologize for my statistical miscalculation, as I must have mistook the 6 for a 5. Still, Granderson had his advantages over Sizemore, most dramatically in average as I noted in the articles beginning. I guess we'll reevaluate after the season who had the better numbers.
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Jarek Berga about 1 year ago
(Someone else wrote an article about Granderson being better, so I just copied my response onto your comments, because I have to respectfully disagree with this notion that 1 great season from Granderson makes him a better player than Grady Sizemore)
I'm not a fan of either the Indians of the Tigers, but I can tell you who I would rather have if I was a GM: Grady Sizemore, and it's not that close.
Graderson had a fantastic season last year, but a lot of things went right for him, things that probably could have easily not gone so well for him if not for a bit of luck.
I could try to explain it, but I'll let a professional do it for, here's what Marc Normandin from Baseball Prospectus said:
"There are problems in Granderson’s future though, if you look at both his batted-ball data and his PECOTA projection. Granderson had a .391 BABIP and a 22.1 percent liner rate last season, two numbers that would be really hard to maintain. His batting average on line drives was .846, and he also managed to hit .277 on grounders and .306 on fly balls. Those numbers are all higher than what is normal, and all of them figure to come down a bit this season. Adjusting his season line for the expected BABIP puts him at .252/.311/.502, assuming all of the missing hits are singles.
This may seem extreme, but his most updated PECOTA for 2008 forecasts a .267/.339/.467 line, which is not too far off. His value depends on how high he can bring his batting average up, and if he can’t hit more than .250-.270, he’s not going to hold anywhere near as much value as he did last year. Remember this on draft day, and let someone else make the mistake of picking him up too early or for too much of their budget.
By both BABIP regression and PECOTA, Granderson is in for a hell of a fall production wise in 2008."
Remember these stats, and with that in mind Granderson could really disappoint, and 2007 could look like a career year and not a trend.
Also remember something very important which should dominate your discussion: track record. Go back and look at Curtis Granderson's past few seasons, and then go back and look at Sizemore's last few seasons. It's no contest, so I'd like to see Granderson do it for 2 more seasons to start really making an argument as to who's the better player.
For right now, track record indicates Sizemore is the better player and has been for a few years. You can look up any stat you want, VORP, EQA, HR, RBI, OBP, SLUG, almost anything, and over the last 3 years, they're in Sizemore's favor, outside of 2007. Last season Granderson was better, but one season cannot overtake three previous excellent seasons from Sizemore, compared to no excellent seasons (before 2007) from Granderson.
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John Fennelly about 1 year ago
Sizemore is overrated a bit, but he's still statistically better than Granderson.
The Tigers and Indians fans have all summer to sort this out...lets reconvene on Sept 30
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Eli Nachmany about 1 year ago
PECOTA is a bit pessimistic
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Ben 3 months ago
Oops.
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