Just two years ago, Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore was a legitimate American League M.V.P. candidate. Sizemore, a rare five-tool talent, posted an excellent .268/.374/.502 line, swatting 33 homers while stealing 38 bases to lead the Indians to the postseason. Combined with his plus defense at a premium position, he was one of the most valuable all-around players in the game.

In large part because of injury, Sizemore regressed a bit last season. He was limited to just 106 games, with his OPS falling from .876 to .788. To make matters worse, the Indians were awful, completely tearing down the fort to rebuild at the trade deadline, and his defense also declined. Nonetheless, he was still quite productive, hitting 18 homers from an up-the-middle position. To many, the downward slide was attributed to the injury and not a drop-off in skills.

As a result, most analysts expected Sizemore to rebound this spring and reestablish himself as one of the majors’ most productive position players. He inspired more faith in a bounce back with an...