Sheffield, Gary A.
Baseball
b. Nov. 18, 1968, Tampa, FL
The minor league player of the year in 1988, Sheffield joined the American League's Milwaukee Brewers late that season and was labelled a can't-miss prospect. A 5-foot-11, 190-pound right-hander, he became Milwaukee's starting shortstop in 1989.
He was sent back down in mid-season, but was called back up and installed at third base late in the season. After hitting .294 in 1990, Sheffield missed much of the 1991 season with an injury and was traded to the San Diego Padres, where he fulfilled his promise in 1992, leading the league with a .330 average, hitting 33 home runs, and driving in 100 runs. He was named the league's player of the year by The Sporting News.
During the 1993 season, San Diego began getting rid of high-priced players to reduce its payroll. Sheffield went to the expansion Florida Marlins. He batted .294, but a chronic shoulder problem reduced his power and he hit only 20 home runs with 73 RBI in 140 games.
The problem limited him to a total of just 150 games over the next two seasons, but he came back strong with a .314 average, 42 home runs, and 120 RBI in 1996. However, he hit only .250 in 1997 and was batting .272 after 40 games in 1998 when the Marlins traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sheffield immediately blossomed with the Dodgers, hitting .316 in 90 games in 1998, then batting over .300 each of the next three seasons, totalling 113 home runs over that span.
The Dodgers traded him to the Atlanta Braves in 2002. Sheffield had two more seasons over .300, hitting 79 home runs in the process, before signing with the New York Yankees in 2004. In his first two seasons with the Yankees, Sheffield totalled 70 home runs and 244 RBI.
Sheffield underwest wrist surgery after playing in just 30 games in 2006. He was expected to return to action in September.
Since 1994, Sheffield has been an outfielder, primarily playing right field.