Okay, it’s not a fight to the death, but both the Indians and the Rays have marquee players who double as heart throbs in Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore and Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. In honor of the upcoming Indians-Rays series this week, I thought we should match them up on some key factors to see who comes out on top.
AGE: Sizemore is 28 (DOB 8/7/1982); Longoria is 25 (DOB 10/7/ 1985). Opinions vary, but if peak performance comes somewhere between ages 26 and 31, Sizemore has an oh-so-slight advantage
INJURIES: Sizemore was on the DL at the beginning of season, returned April 17; Longoria went on the DL on April 3, returning May 3. Both have come back swinging hard. We’ll call it a draw
DRAFT: Sizemore was selected in the third round of the 2000 draft by the Expos ($2 million signing bonus) and traded to Cleveland in July 2002; Longoria was the third overall pick in the 2006 draft ($3 million signing bonus). Double advantage to Longoria.
MLB DEBUT: Sizemore debuted 7/21/2004, played 43 games; Longoria debuted 4/12/2008, played 122 games, won Rookie of the Year. Advantage Longoria
GOLD GLOVES: Sizemore won Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2008; Longoria won Gold Gloves in 2009 and 2010. Draw.
SILVER SLUGGER: Sizemore won in 2008; Longoria won in 2009. Draw
ALL-STAR: Sizemore made the All-Star Team in 2006, 2007, and 2008; Longoria made the All-Star Team in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Draw.
CAREER BATTING AVG: Sizemore,.273; Longoria, .283. Advantage Longoria
CAREER OPS: Sizemore, .843; Longoria, .882. Advantage Longoria
FAN CLUBS: Sizemore is followed by Grady’s Ladies; Longoria’s fans have set up a MySpace page. Advantage Sizemore
EMBARRASSING PERSONAL LIFE SNAFUS: In November 2009, Sizemore emailed suggestive photos of himself to his girlfriend; the emails were hacked and the photos circulated across the Internet. Longoria shares a remarkably similar name with actress Eva Longoria. In March 2011, the apartment he shared with David Price and Reid Brignac was broken into, among the items stolen were Longoria’s AK-47 rifle. Advantage Longoria.
Well there you have it. It’s Longoria 5, Sizemore 2, with four draws. The winner of the Pretty Boy Death Match is Evan Longoria. Yet another reason Why the Indians Will Lose.
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[…] 3)The Rays win the Pretty Boy Death Match. [Mark's note. Susan and Stephanie gave me the opportunity to weigh-in on this pretty boy death match but I deferred. Maybe later I will email some photos of Grady Sizemore to The Mrs. to see if she has an opinion.] Categories: Featured, Slider […]