Hall of Fame Case: Gary Sheffield

He was an All-Star for San Diego, Florida, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and the Yankees. He finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting six times and was a Silver Slugger winner five times — the first coming at age 23 and the last coming at age 36.

But a shoulder injury and an oblique strain hampered Sheffield in 2008. He signed on with the Mets one home run shy of 500. On April 17, 2009, as a pinch-hitter facing Milwaukee Brewers reliever Mitch Stetter, Sheffield reached the milestone. He played the duration of the regular season, ultimately hitting nine more homers before calling it a career.

Gary Sheffield.

Sheffield was a legitimate middle-of-the order threat for 13 seasons — starting in San Diego, through his seasons with the Marlins, Dodgers, Braves, and Yanks. Although he never won an MVP, the spread of those top-10 finishes is a credit to longevity. Even into his mid-30s, from 2003-05, Sheffield averaged 36 home runs and 125 RBIs per season.

Although he never tested positive for illegal substances, his being in the Mitchell Report is a scarlet letter that he’s yet to overcome. Sheffield’s name came up after authorities found a 2003 FedEx receipt from Sheffield to BALCO in the home of Greg Anderson, a former trainer to Barry Bonds. In his autobiography, Sheffield said he took a cream given to him by Anderson to help heal a knee injury but didn’t know whether it contained illegal substances.

Beyond that, Sheffield has been a bit of a lightning rod. He’s never afraid to speak his mind going back to his days in Milwaukee and even after his career. That might turn off some voters even if there was validity to his statements.

As far as on-field demerits go, his defense is the easiest thing to highlight. His “total zone” and “defensive runs saved” figures aren’t just bad — they are some of the worst in history. His -195 fielding runs rank as the second-lowest total of all time. That brings down Sheffield’s career and peak WARs, as well as his JAWS rating. His 60.5 career WAR ranks 19th among right fielders, which is 10.6 wins below the average Hall of Famer. His 49.3 JAWS is 24th, 7.4 points shy of the average Cooperstown inductee.

As much as defense has helped bolster the profile of players who previously wouldn’t have had as good a case, they can just as well hamper it. This might be a prime example.

Gary Sheffield.