Will Gary Sheffield finally make the Hall of Fame?
When you are nominated for the MLB Hall of Fame, you have ten years to get in before you are locked out forever. This will be year ten for former Braves outfielder Gary Sheffield as he attempts to add his name to the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.
The ballots will all be cast by December 31st and the final results will be revealed on January 23, 2024. During his playing days, Sheffield was one of the best players in the game. So why has he not been voted in yet? That is because his era of baseball is shrouded by steroids.
Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) have kept a large number of talented players out of the Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens all failed to make it into the Hall of Fame after failed PED tests.
Sheffield's name appeared in Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report in 2007. 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. Although Sheffield claims that no foul play was involved, it has made an impact on his Hall of Fame status.
You need to have 75% or more votes to be entered into the Hall of Fame and Sheffield will need quite the jump to make that happen. In 2022, Sheffield only reeled in 55% of the votes. He made a jump from 40.6% to 55% last year, but he will need even more than that this time. A 15% jump this year would only get him to 70% of the votes. With the way some people vote for their Hall of Fame players, there is no rhyme or reason to it. Here's to hoping Sheffield finally gets in.
Sheffield spent two years of a twenty-one season career in Atlanta, his ages 33 & 34 seasons. After a very good 2002 season in right field (.307/.404/.512 w/ 25 homers), Sheffield absolutely exploded in 2003 with a top three MVP finish. The slugger batted .330/.419/.604 with 39 homers, 132 RBIs, and won Silver Slugger and All Star nods.
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