Former MLB outfielder Gary Sheffield was one of the best hitters to ever take the field (and also had one of the best batting stances of all time). The star slugger spent time with a plethora of teams, most notably the Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees.
Sheffield played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, having last suited up in 2009 for the New York Mets. It's been more than a decade since Sheffield retired from MLB, so what is the 52-year-old doing now?
Gary Sheffield MLB Career
RELATED: What Happened to Jeff Bagwell and Where is He Now?
Gary Sheffield grew up in Tampa, Florida and attended Hillsborough High School where he starred as a baseball player. Sheffield, who is the nephew of former Mets star pitcher Dwight Gooden, was destined for success in the sport.
He impressed so much as a high schooler that the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him with the sixth overall pick of the 1986 MLB Amateur Draft. The Brewers sent him to the minor leagues and changed his position from shortstop to outfield.
Sheff played four seasons for the Brewers before joining the San Diego Padres in 1992. He made the National League All-Star team for the first time that season. Sheff was traded to the Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins) in 1993, where he'd spend the next six years of his career. While with the Marlins, Sheffield managed to win the 1997 World Series in a seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians.
In 1998, Sheffield joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he'd play four seasons and make two All-Star games. Sheffield spent two seasons with the Atlanta Braves in 2002 and 2003, before departing for a three-year stint with the Yankees. He finished runner-up for American League MVP voting in 2004, losing out to Vladimir Guerrero but placing ahead of Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez.
Gary Sheffield's batting stance was one of a kind ?
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/tQkJcz5tn0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 27, 2020
After leaving the Yankees in 2007, Sheffield spent the rest of his career with the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets before retiring.
Across his 22 seasons in the big leagues, Sheffield put up some video game numbers, including 509 home runs, 1,676 RBIs, 1,475 walks and 1,171 strikeouts across 2,576 career games. Sheffield was a five-time Silver Slugger award winner and a nine-time All-Star. He featured in nine playoff series and a total of 44 postseason games. Sheffield is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, though he has yet to receive enough votes for enshrinement.
Sheffield, like many players of his era, was accused of using steroids and HGH in order to improve his performance. Allegations against Sheffield claimed he used illegal substances he acquired from San Francisco Giants' slugger Barry Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson, per ESPN.
Gary Sheffield Now
After hanging up his glove and bat, Sheffield stepped into a studio analyst role with TBS.
He also founded Sheffield Management & Entertainment, an agency that represents professional athletes and entertainers with a focus on baseball. After making more than $168 million in baseball contracts, he now focuses on getting players that same kind of money.
Sheffield recently made headlines in April 2021 after admitting he doesn't watch baseball anymore due to the way the sport is played.
In an interview with CBS Sports Radio's "Tiki and Tierney Show," Sheffield said, "I'll tell you the secret now: I never watched the games during the season. I would get educated on it when I got there. It's not something that I could watch, based on what I'm seeing, because I'll be a complainer. ... This is the first time I've ever said that out loud, but I'm just truly disappointed with what I watch."
While Sheffield is no longer swinging for the fences in MLB stadiums, his son Jaden Sheffield is committed to play college baseball at Georgetown.
Pretty soon, we could have another Sheffield in the big leagues waving his bat at the plate.
