Sizemore could be playing his way into a roster spot
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| Photo from NESN |
Contributing Writer
Most of us saw Grady Sizmore as a probable backup to Jackie Bradley Sizemore, but he's been showing us constantly this spring that he's still got it. Manager John Farrell admitted that he was entering Spring Training with the mindset of "Bradley will be starting." According to NESN, that hasn't changed too much, but Farrell has been impressed.
Per NESN:
“We came into camp with Jackie (Bradley Jr.) as the guy. We projected him as the starting center fielder and I don’t think anything has radically changed that thought,” Farrell said Saturday. “But we can’t deny the thought that Grady Sizemore has looked very well in camp. We’re still in the process of trying to get our arms around his durability. We’ll extend him a little bit tonight where he’s going to go probably seven (or) eight innings tonight, possibly the full game, so we’re starting to get a little bit more of that test, and the answers to some of those tests.”
The last time Sizemore played in a regular season game was in 2011, but he's been forcing competition in Spring Training, swinging the bat well and playing good defense. Will he be the center field starter on Opening Day? It's hard to say because there might not be enough roster space to keep both Sizemore and Bradley on the roster, according to NESN. NESN reports that the Sox would have to cut corners elsewhere to keep both of them on the roster, and John Farrell said that it won't be easy.
“I can’t say that we wouldn’t do that. But there’s also limits to the roster,” Farrell said of potentially starting the regular season with both Bradley and Sizemore on the big league roster. “I think the one thing we’ve benefited from is a deep and talented roster. Early in the season, you want as many of those players as you can. And if that causes decisions one way or the other to keep as many good players as you have, that’s something we’ll arrive at before we break here.”
Sizemore just added to the headaches today with 3 hits and a great defensive play in center. He's definitely worth keeping around, but he might drop another equally worthy player down to the farm system. If he keeps playing well, he could end up splitting time with Bradley in center.
What do you think? Leave a comment or hit me up Twitter (@ConorJF1016).
