Opinion: Gary Sheffield not elected to the Hall of Fame for all the wrong reasons

[Alex Carver]

Despite being one of the most recognizable and feared hitters in baseball for decades, Sheffield did not make it to Cooperstown after 10 years on the ballot.

Gary Sheffield’s time on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot has come and gone. As the voting results were revealed on Tuesday tonight, it was confirmed that he was again denied election to Cooperstown. Sheffield recevied the most support he ever has, but in heartbreaking fashion, he missed election by a narrow 11.1%, garnering 63.9% of the necessary 75% of the electorate's vote.

What was the case for voting against Gary Sheffield over these last 10 straight years? Let's explore one final time.

Let’s get it out of the way first: yes, Gary Sheffield used a BALCO product. Famously at the spike of the steroid era in 2002, Sheffield trained with Barry Bonds. After being mentioned in the Mitchell Report, he admitted to applying a topical cream produced by BALCO to his knees during that tenure. This undoubtedly is one of the main reasons why Sheffield was not elected.

But let’s talk about something else that Bonds and Sheffield also have in common: they were both on a Hall of Fame track before they started using.

Sheffield (14th season) and Bonds (13th season) were at similar points in their career when their first use cases happened. Comparing the two players pre-first use, we see very similar slash lines that made both players two of the best hitters in the game. In Sheffield’s case, he had already racked up over300 home runs, he had been a main contributor to a World Series winning team, and he won a batting title for having one of the best seasons in Marlins’ history. On top of that, he won two Silver Sluggers and six All Star Game selections. During that stretch, he was one of 14 players in baseball to play in over 1000 games and OPS at least .900.

Whether Sheffield did it knowingly or not, using this as an excuse to keep him off of your ballot would be acceptable if (big if) steroids helped his performance greatly improve. Did they? Statistics say no. Before 2002, Sheffield slashed .295/.399/.521 and averaged 22 home runs a season. Afterwards, in a smaller sample, he slashed .287/.384/.503 with an average of 24 home runs a season. The proof is on the page: whatever Sheffield used did not greatly help his performance and did not make him a Hall of Famer. He did that on his own. And oh, by the way, he never got caught or suspended for steroid use. This should not be have been treated nearly as simply as it seemingly was by some voters.

Let’s talk about the other knock of Sheffield’s candidacy: defense. Yes, it is true that Sheffield was objectively not good with his glove. In fact, he was one of the worst gloves in baseball during his tenure. After not being able to make it work at either shortstop or third base early on in his career, Sheff moved to the outfield where he more often than not struggled. For his career, he posted a -27.7 dWAR. This severely impacted Sheffield’s overall WAR. However, what he did with the bat to become one of the most memorable and recognizable hitters arguably of his generation more than made up for those shortcomings. By posting a career 80.7 oWAR, something only 36 other players have ever done in their careers, Sheff ended his 22-year run with a 60.5 marker for overall WAR. Currently, there are 37 post-dead ball era outfielders in the Hall of Fame with a 60.5 WAR or less. His defense should nearly be a non-factor.

The only other question mark around Sheffield during his playing tenure that has been pointed to as a caveat to his great play was his relationship with media members. Some didn’t like Sheffield’s brash and very honest nature and have since used this as fuel to leave his name unchecked. However, the Hall of Fame is about telling the story of baseball, not about telling us who was better in front of a microphone.

Let's take a quick look at the National Baseball Hall of Fame's voting guidelines:

5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

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No matter what team you rooted for during Sheffield’s incredible playing career, it didn’t matter. You knew his iconic bat waggle and tried to replicate it in your little league games and games of backyard baseball. You knew his beautifully violent swing. You saw him finish top three in MVP voting three times. You saw his name was all over print media for far more right reasons than for wrong reasons. You still know him today as the only player in MLB history to hit 500+ home runs having never struck out more than 83 times in a season. The story of the history of baseball will remain incomplete without Gary Sheffield in Cooperstown.

Although this was a very disappointing day for both Sheffield and the baseball world as a whole, this wrong can still be righted. The 16-person Contemporary Baseball Era Committee will meet again in December 2025. At that time, Sheffield should have the opportunity to join his fellow Tampa, Florida native Fred McGriff as players who were snubbed by the BBWAA, but ultimately got the induction they deserved.

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