Baseball's Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame (52 page)

Gary Sheffield

For much of his 21-year career, spent with seven different teams, Gary Sheffield has been among the most productive and feared hitters in baseball. He has established a reputation as an outstanding clutch hitter, the kind that his teammates always want to see at the plate when the game is on the line. And his violent swing strikes fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers around the majors.

Sheffield began his major league career in 1988, as a shortstop with the Milwaukee Brewers. After being shifted to third base in 1990, he spent two more years in Milwaukee before joining the San Diego Padres in 1992. Sheffield had his breakout season with the Padres that year, hitting 33 home runs, driving in 100 runs, leading the National League with a .330 batting average, finishing third in the league MVP voting, and being named
The Sporting
News
Player of the Year. The following year, Sheffield was traded to the Florida Marlins, who converted him into an outfielder. With Florida in 1996, Sheffield had another tremendous year, hitting 42 home runs, driving in 120 runs, scoring 118 others, batting .314, and walking a career-high 142 times. After winning the World Series in 1997, the Marlins decided to break up the nucleus of their team. As part of the fire sale, Sheffield was dealt to the Dodgers during the middle of the following season.

Sheffield spent the 1999-2001 campaigns in Los Angeles, averaging 38 home runs, 103 runs batted in, and 102 runs scored, and batting well over .300 each season. However, after squabbling with team management about the terms of his contract, he was traded to the Braves prior to the start of the 2002 campaign. Sheffield had two extremely productive seasons in Atlanta, having perhaps the finest all-around season of his career in 2003. That year, he hit 39 home runs, drove in a career-high 132 runs, scored a career-best 126 others, batted .330, and finished third in the league MVP voting. At the end of the season, he elected to join the Yankees via free agency in the hope that he might win another world championship with them. Over the next two seasons, Sheffield demonstrated that the change in leagues had virtually no effect on him. In 2004, he hit 36 home runs, knocked in 121 runs, scored another 117, batted .290, and finished runner-up in the league MVP balloting. In 2005, he hit 34 homers, drove in 123 runs, scored 104 others, and batted .291. However, Sheffield missed most of the 2006 campaign with an injury, and was subsequently dealt to the Detroit Tigers at the end of the year. With Detroit in 2007, Sheffield hit 25 home runs, knocked in 75 runs, and scored 107 others, despite missing more than a month with an injured hand. The 39-year-old Sheffield finally succumbed to Father Time in 2008, batting just .225, hitting only 19 home runs, and driving in just 57 runs in 114 games for the Tigers.

In all, Sheffield has hit more than 30 homers and driven in more than 100 runs eight times each, batted over .300 nine times, scored more than 100 runs seven times, and drawn more than 100 bases on balls four times. He has been named to nine All-Star teams, and has finished in the top ten in the league MVP voting six times, making it into the top five on three occasions. At the conclusion of the 2008 campaign, these were Sheffield’s career statistics:

Those numbers would appear to make Sheffield a strong candidate for Hall of Fame honors when he eventually becomes eligible for induction, and his numerous All-Star Game appearances and consistently strong showing in the MVP balloting further enhance the strength of his candidacy. His credentials should receive an additional boost when he surpasses 500 home runs in the 2009 campaign.

Yet, there are other factors that must be considered when evaluating Sheffield’s Hall of Fame credentials. For one thing, aside from winning the batting title in 1992, he has led his league in a major statistical category only one other time (on-base percentage in 1996). On the other hand, it should be pointed out that he has placed in the league’s top five a total of 21 times during his career.

Something else to consider is the fact that Sheffield has been a poor postseason performer throughout most of his career. After batting .307 for the Braves during the 2002 regular season, Sheffield had only one hit in 16 times at bat during the playoffs, for a meager .062 batting average. After hitting 39 home runs, driving in 132 runs, and hitting .330 for Atlanta the following year, Sheffield batted just .143 in the playoffs. With the Yankees in 2004, Sheffield batted just .222 in the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins. He then got off to a hot start against Boston in the League Championship Series, but faltered badly as New York collapsed, losing the final four games to the Red Sox. In 2006, Sheffield had only one hit in 12 at-bats against Detroit in the ALDS, then berated Joe Torre to the press after his manager failed to enter his name on the lineup card for the final game. In 161 career post-season at-bats, Sheffield has only six home runs, 19 runs batted in, and a .248 batting average.

Nevertheless, Sheffield’s lack of production during the postseason should not, by itself, keep him out of the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible for induction. In Ted Williams’ only World Series appearance, he had just 5 hits in 25 at-bats, for an uncharacteristic .200 batting average, with no home runs and only one run batted in. In four World Series appearances with the Cardinals, Stan Musial batted only .256, with just one home run and eight runs batted in. And, in three World Series with the Tigers, Ty Cobb batted just .262, with no home runs and nine runs batted in. Therefore, the ability to excel in the postseason has never been a prerequisite for being admitted into Cooperstown.

However, two other factors are much more likely to adversely affect Sheffield’s chances of eventually being inducted. The first is rooted in the slugging outfielder’s reputation for being a self-promoting malcontent who is concerned only about himself, and who, sooner or later, wears out his welcome wherever he goes. It is certainly true that not everyone agrees with that assessment. In fact, when Sheffield left Atlanta at the end of the 2003 season, Braves Manager Bobby Cox spoke glowingly of him, stating that the Yankees were getting someone who was both a good player and a good man in the clubhouse in Sheffield. Yet, Sheffield’s time in Los Angeles and New York both ended in acrimony, with the outfielder criticizing the front office and manager of both teams.

Far more damaging to Sheffield’s chances, though, is the speculation that he used steroids to greatly improve his performance. While the outfielder was long-rumored to be using some form of performance-enhancing drug,
San Francisco
Chronicle
reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams pointed a direct finger at him in their 2004 book entitled
Game
of Shadows
. The aforementioned work, the result of 15 months of relentless investigation by the authors, broke the story of BALCO, a tiny nutritional supplement company that, according to sworn testimony, supplied elite athletes with banned drugs. The book provided the names of specific athletes who were involved, identifying, among others, Sheffield and his former close friend Barry Bonds.

One particular incident that was mentioned in the book described the manner in which Bonds referred Sheffield to his close friend and personal trainer, Greg Anderson, when Sheffield was playing for the Braves. In the midst of a horrendous slump, Sheffield sought out Bonds for advice. According to the book, Bonds suggested he contact Anderson, who subsequently supplied him with steroids that enabled Sheffield to go on a hitting tear shortly thereafter.

There are those who might doubt the credibility of the book’s contents. But it is difficult to question the accuracy of a work that so precisely describes the details of events steeped in so much subterfuge. And certainly none of the parties mentioned in the work have filed lawsuits against either Fainaru-Wada or Williams. Furthermore, an examination of the careers of both Bonds and Sheffield greatly supports the contentions made by the book’s authors.

In Sheffield’s case, the outfielder has had what could be classified as eight true Hall-of-Fame type seasons. The first two came relatively early in his career, with the Padres in 1992, and with the Marlins in 1996. However, those were the only two dominant years he had in his first eleven in the major leagues. In the six full seasons he played during that period, Sheffield averaged 25 home runs and 86 runs batted in. Sheffield’s six other exceptional seasons occurred between 1999 and 2005, after he turned 30. Over that seven-year stretch, he averaged 35 home runs and 110 runs batted in. He had his three most productive years in 2003, 2004, and 2005, between the ages of 34 and 36. Therefore, while some might attempt to attribute the increase in offensive productivity Sheffield experienced rather late in his career to other factors, the logical assumption is that the accusations made against him in
Game of Shadows
are true. That being the case, it would be impossible to endorse the selection of Sheffield to the Hall of Fame when his playing days are over.

Barry Bonds

The Hall of Fame credentials of Barry Bonds are undeniable. He ended his career with 762 home runs, the most in major league history. He also is first all-time in walks (2,558), third in runs scored (2,227), fourth in runs batted in (1,996), ranks high on the list in on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.607), had a .298 lifetime batting average, and stole 514 bases in his 22 major league seasons. Bonds holds the single-season records for most home runs (73), bases on balls (232), highest on-base percentage (.609), and highest slugging percentage (.863). He was the first player ever to hit more than 400 home runs and steal more than 400 bases. He later became the first man to surpass 500 homers and 500 steals, and he eventually became the only member of the 700/500 club. Bonds is the only player in baseball history to win seven Most Valuable Player Awards. He also finished in the top five in the voting five other times.

Bonds was selected to 14 All-Star teams and won eight Gold Glove Awards. He hit more than 30 homers 14 times, drove in more than 100 runs 12 times, scored more than 100 runs 12 times, batted over .300 on 11 separate occasions, and stole more than 30 bases nine times. He led his league in home runs twice, in runs batted in and runs scored one time each, in batting average twice, in on-base percentage ten times, and in slugging percentage seven times. Bonds is generally recognized as the finest player of his generation, and as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

The only thing that most people question about Bonds is the legitimacy of many of his accomplishments, and the authenticity of the offensive numbers he compiled during the latter stages of his career. Bonds was an exceptional all-around player his first 13 big-league seasons, winning three Most Valuable Player Awards and eight Gold Gloves. However, after adding some 20 pounds of muscle to his frame prior to the start of the 1999 campaign, Bonds became far more dominant than he ever was before. He greatly increased his offensive production in 1999 and 2000, then became arguably the most dominant hitter in baseball history in 2001, at the age of 36. That is something that goes against the very laws of nature. No matter how well-conditioned an athlete may be, it is a simple fact that, after he reaches his mid-30s, his reflexes and, in the case of a baseball player, his bat-speed, begin to slow down. With Bonds, though, the opposite occurred.

Let’s take a look at his numbers to create a clearer picture:

  • Over his first ten major league seasons, from 1986 to 1995, Bonds hit more than 40 home runs in a season only once (46 in 1993). He also surpassed 30 homers four other times. Over that same period, he knocked in more than 100 runs five times and batted over .300 four times.

  • From 1996 to 2000, Bonds topped 30 homers each season, surpassing 40 home runs on three separate occasions. He peaked at 49 in 2000.

  • In 2001, at age 36, Bonds established a new single-season major league record by hitting 73 home runs—
24
more than he hit in any previous season. He also established a new single-season record for highest slugging percentage (.863), while knocking in a career-high 137 runs.

  • Bonds followed that up in 2002 by hitting 46 home runs in only 403 at-bats (he walked 198 times). He also batted a career-high .370, to win the first batting title of his career at age 37.

  • In 2003, Bonds hit 45 home runs in only 390 at-bats, while batting .341 and capturing his third consecutive Most Valuable Player Award.

  • In 2004, at age 39, Bonds hit 45 home runs in only 373 at-bats, while batting a league-leading .362. He also established new all-time single-season records for most walks (232) and highest on-base percentage (.609). At season’s end, Bonds was awarded his record seventh MVP trophy. Furthermore, consider the following: