Grady Sizemore is proving that an old-school approach works, even for one of the best young stars in baseball.
Sizemore, who has endeared himself to teammates and fans of the Cleveland Indians because of his hustle and team-first attitude, received his biggest individual honor Tuesday.
He won a Gold Glove.
Sizemore, who graduated in 2000 from Cascade High School in Everett, joined the Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki and the Twins’ Torii Hunter in the American League outfield. Suzuki, Hunter and the Blue Jays’ Vernon Wells had comprised the three AL outfield spots the previous three years.
The Gold Glove awards are selected in a vote of major league managers and coaches.
“I’m excited, I’m surprised, I’m honored,” Sizemore, 25, said from his offseason home in Scottsdale, Ariz. “I’m honored just to be nominated. There are so many great outfielders in the league.”
To be listed alongside Suzuki and Hunter as one of the league’s top three outfielders brings a special feeling, he said.
“When you’re in high school and coming up through the minors, those are the guys you’re watching,” he said. “You want to strive to be like them.”
Sizemore made two errors in 405 defensive chances and his .995 fielding percentage was fourth in the AL. He became the first Indians Gold Glove winner since shortstop Omar Vizquel and second baseman Roberto Alomar in 2001. Kenny Lofton was the last Indians outfielder to win a Gold Glove, in 1996.
“This is a big achievement for me,” Sizemore said. “Everyone wants to have a good year offensively and defensively, but I take a lot of pride in my defense. I want to go out there and continue to be a better outfielder every year. I feel I’ve grown in the last year and I want to be out there in center taking charge and leading the way.”
Sizemore’s success so early in his career doesn’t surprise those who remember his talent, work ethic and humility as a youth.
“People say he’s an old-time player in the new age. That’s what I respect so much about Grady,” said Aaron Smith, a teammate at Cascade who now is an assistant baseball coach at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. “This is the ‘me’ generation, but Grady is the furthest from that of anybody I’ve ever played with. He could worry only about himself, but all he wants to do is play hard and help the team win.
“Grady does everything the right way. It’s really great to hear that a kid from Everett can succeed like that.”
Sizemore was a key player in the Indians’ AL Central Division championship and their drive to the AL Championship Series, where they built a 3-1 lead before the Red Sox won three straight to reach the World Series.
“It’s still kind of bitter,” he said. “Getting so close and having to watch the World Series at home was tough. But I also think about how far we came, especially from last year to this year. It was an exciting run and it was fun to be in the playoffs and we learned a lot about it. The season just ended a little too soon for us.”
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