Detroit Tigers Second Baseman, Scott Sizemore earned a lot of preseason hype after being announced as the starting two bagger. Looking purely at stats, it’s easy to get excited about Sizemore as a cheap second base option for your fantasy team, but I’m not quite sold. The reason being that he is returning from a ankle injury, and most of his comparable lack any Major League success.
Let’s see how my rating system rates him:
Power. A 32% Extra-Base hit is pretty solid, especially for a middle infielder. As a Minor Leaguer, Sizemore has averaged 12 Home Runs per 162 games. I think that’s about on track with his ceiling, or maximum Home Runs he’ll ever hit as a Major Leaguer in one season. Grade: C
Contact. Sizemore doesn’t strike out much (14.5% of his PA). Combine that with his above average walk rate, and you have a player that projects out to eventually hit .285+ in the major leagues. Grade: B+
Speed. Sizemore has averaged about 24 Stolen Bases per 162 games in the Minor Leagues. The speed is definitely there. However, I think Sizemore may be a little hesitant to run to start the season, since he is returning from off-season ankle surgery. Grade: B+
Approach. With a career 11.4 BB% in the Minor Leagues, you have to like Sizemore’s approach at the dish. Grade: B+
Opportunity. Opportunity is Sizemore’s greatest asset. With Polanco out of Detroit, the competition at second base is about as fierce as a recreational ladies badminton league. Grade: B+
Hype. The hype shown for Sizemore is primarily “sleeper” talk. I don’t think anyone actually expects Sizemore to develop into an All-Star caliber Second Baseman. Grade: C-
Intangibles. Sizemore has never been flashy, and doesn’t have much of a body to grow into. Also, he is returning from off-season ankle surgery. Grade: C
Overall Prospect Rating: 52 out of 80
A 52 out of 80 is nothing to sneeze at but is also not likely to amount to much. Sizemore has the potential to be an average major league infielder. His fantasy baseball ceiling is 15/15, which is not bad at all coming from a 2B. I just don’t expect him to reach this ceiling in 2010.
Comparable Players: Chris Magruder, Marco Scutaro, Michael Young
What to expect in 2010? Sizemore has been handed the reigns at second base, and he doesn’t have much competition. Returning from off-season ankle surgery makes me wonder how effective he will be on the basepaths. It would be in your best interest to ignore him in 2010, unless you’re in an AL-Only league, or a 16+ team league.
2010 Projection: 430 AB – 57 Runs – 10 HR – 46 RBI – 4 SB – .262 AVG
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