Former Cleveland Guardians Star Named White Sox Interim Manager

Former Cleveland Guardians star Grady Sizemore has been named interim manager of the Chicago White Sox, via Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol earlier on Thursday. The team plans on naming a permanent replacement at the end of the season.

Sizemore was a member of the Guardians from 2004 through 2012 and established himself as one of the best outfielders in baseball during his tenure.

He made three straight All-Star appearances between 2006 and 2008, with his best year coming in 2006 when he slashed .290/.375/.533 with 28 home runs and 76 RBI. He also led the majors with 53 doubles and stole 22 bases.

Unfortunately, Sizemore’s peak was very short.

Injuries derailed the Seattle native following the 2008 campaign, as he played in 106, 33 and 71 games, respectively, from 2009 through 2011.

He then missed his entire final season in Cleveland in 2012 due to various injuries, mainly due to knee and back issues that resulted in multiple surgeries.

Sizemore didn’t play at all in 2013, either, and then bounced around between the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays in 2014 and 2015. However, he did so in a rather limited role.

Now 42 years old, Sizemore slashed .269/.357/.473 while playing stellar outfield defense throughout his time in Cleveland, adding a pair of Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger award to boot.

The White Sox recently ended a 21-game losing streak and have, by far, the worst record in baseball at 28-89. We’ll see if Sizemore can help light a fire under Chicago the rest of the way.