Gary Sheffield, baseball player, 509 home runs, 1988-2009

Gary Sheffield

Born: 11/18/1968 in Tampa, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1988-09-03 | Final Game: 2009-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Gary Antonian Sheffield

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Biography

Gary Sheffield was a prominent professional baseball player, born in 1968, who enjoyed a prolific career spanning from 1988 to 2009. Known for his powerful hitting and unique batting stance, Sheffield became one of the most feared sluggers of his era. Over the course of 2,576 games, he recorded 2,689 hits, 509 home runs, and 1,676 runs batted in, finishing his career with a commendable batting average of .292. In addition to his offensive prowess, Sheffield demonstrated speed on the bases, amassing 253 stolen bases, which added another dimension to his game. Sheffield was selected as an All-Star nine times, marking his status as one of the elite players during a period characterized by high offensive output and the increasing prevalence of home runs in the game. His impact extended beyond statistics; he played a significant role in the teams he represented, contributing to both the success and culture of the franchises. Sheffield’s legacy is not only defined by his impressive career numbers but also by his influence on future generations of hitters, blending power and finesse in a way that redefined the role of the position player in Major League Baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2576 9217 1636 2689 467 27 509 1676 253 1475 1171 0.292 0.393 0.514 0.907 43849.7

Career AVG .292 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.

Career OBP .393 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +18.1% above league average.

Career SLG .514 vs. league average .414 across their career seasons — +24.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.907 vs. league average 0.747 across their career seasons — +21.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1988 ATL AL 24 80 12 19 1 0 4 12 3 7 7 0.237 .254 (-7%) .317 (-7%) .377 (+6%) .695 (avg) -9.5
1989 ATL AL 95 368 34 91 18 0 5 32 10 27 33 0.247 .254 (-3%) .319 (-5%) .375 (-10%) .694 (-8%) -517.1
1990 ATL AL 125 487 67 143 30 1 10 67 25 44 41 0.294 .257 (+14%) .324 (+8%) .385 (+9%) .710 (+9%) 771.9
1991 ATL AL 50 175 25 34 12 2 2 22 5 19 15 0.194 .255 (-24%) .323 (-14%) .384 (-17%) .708 (-16%) -521.6
1992 SDP NL 146 557 87 184 34 3 33 100 5 48 40 0.330 .255 (+29%) .322 (+19%) .377 (+54%) .699 (+38%) 4004.5
1993 SDP NL 68 258 34 76 12 2 10 36 5 18 30 0.295 .265 (+11%) .332 (+4%) .403 (+17%) .735 (+11%) 470.8
1993 MIA NL 72 236 33 69 8 3 10 37 12 29 34 0.292 .265 (+10%) .332 (+14%) .403 (+19%) .735 (+17%) 470.8
1994 MIA NL 87 322 61 89 16 1 27 78 12 51 50 0.276 .269 (+2%) .338 (+12%) .424 (+38%) .763 (+26%) 1682.3
1995 MIA NL 63 213 46 69 8 0 16 46 19 55 45 0.324 .266 (+21%) .337 (+38%) .417 (+41%) .755 (+40%) 1855.5
1996 MIA NL 161 519 118 163 33 1 42 120 16 142 66 0.314 .269 (+16%) .340 (+37%) .426 (+46%) .767 (+42%) 5525.9
1997 MIA NL 135 444 86 111 22 1 21 71 11 121 79 0.250 .266 (-6%) .336 (+26%) .419 (+6%) .756 (+15%) 2107.2
1998 MIA NL 40 136 21 37 11 1 6 28 4 26 16 0.272 .266 (+2%) .335 (+17%) .420 (+19%) .755 (+18%) 487.4
1998 LAD NL 90 301 52 95 16 1 16 57 18 69 30 0.316 .266 (+19%) .335 (+32%) .420 (+27%) .755 (+30%) 487.4
1999 LAD NL 152 549 103 165 20 0 34 101 11 101 64 0.301 .271 (+11%) .344 (+18%) .433 (+20%) .778 (+19%) 2621.9
2000 LAD NL 141 501 105 163 24 3 43 109 4 101 71 0.325 .270 (+20%) .344 (+27%) .437 (+47%) .782 (+38%) 4409.3
2001 LAD NL 143 515 98 160 28 2 36 100 10 94 67 0.311 .263 (+18%) .332 (+26%) .426 (+37%) .758 (+32%) 3732.3
2002 ATL NL 135 492 82 151 26 0 25 84 12 72 53 0.307 .261 (+17%) .331 (+22%) .416 (+23%) .747 (+23%) 2553.4
2003 ATL NL 155 576 126 190 37 2 39 132 18 86 55 0.330 .264 (+25%) .332 (+26%) .422 (+43%) .754 (+36%) 4552.2
2004 NYY AL 154 573 117 166 30 1 36 121 5 92 83 0.290 .266 (+9%) .335 (+17%) .427 (+25%) .762 (+22%) 2883.7
2005 NYY AL 154 584 104 170 27 0 34 123 10 78 76 0.291 .264 (+10%) .330 (+15%) .418 (+22%) .749 (+19%) 2520.5
2006 NYY AL 39 151 22 45 5 0 6 25 5 13 16 0.298 .269 (+11%) .336 (+6%) .431 (+4%) .768 (+5%) 150.3
2007 DET AL 133 494 107 131 20 1 25 75 22 84 71 0.265 .268 (-1%) .335 (+12%) .422 (+9%) .758 (+11%) 1344.4
2008 DET AL 114 418 52 94 16 0 19 57 9 58 83 0.225 .263 (-15%) .333 (-2%) .416 (-4%) .749 (-3%) -167.8
2009 NYN NL 100 268 44 74 13 2 10 43 2 40 46 0.276 .262 (+5%) .332 (+12%) .417 (+8%) .750 (+10%) 591.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
44 161 27 40 6 0 6 19 39 26 0.248

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2006 ALDS1 NYA 3 12 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0.083
2005 ALDS2 NYA 5 21 1 6 0 0 0 2 1 2 0.286
2004 ALCS NYA 7 30 7 10 3 0 1 5 6 8 0.333
2004 ALDS2 NYA 4 18 2 4 1 0 1 2 3 1 0.222
2003 NLDS2 ATL 4 14 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.143
2002 NLDS1 ATL 5 16 3 1 0 0 1 1 7 3 0.062
1997 NLCS FLO 6 17 6 4 0 0 1 1 7 3 0.235
1997 NLDS1 FLO 3 9 3 5 1 0 1 1 5 0 0.556
1997 WS FLO 7 24 4 7 1 0 1 5 8 5 0.292

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 9 56 3 1 4
3B 468 466 320 887 88 67
OF 1641 1637 2775 108 67 15
SS 94 93 124 242 15 49

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1988 ML4 SS 24 23 39 48 3 9
1989 ML4 3B 21 21 15 44 4 4
1989 ML4 SS 70 70 85 194 12 40
1990 ML4 3B 125 125 98 254 25 16
1991 ML4 3B 43 43 29 65 8 7
1992 SDN 3B 144 144 99 299 16 25
1993 SDN 3B 67 67 41 102 15 11
1993 FLO 3B 66 66 38 123 19 4
1994 FLO OF 87 86 154 7 5 3
1995 FLO OF 61 61 109 5 7 1
1996 FLO OF 161 160 238 8 6 0
1997 FLO OF 132 132 226 14 5 1
1998 FLO OF 37 37 68 3 1 2
1998 LAN OF 89 89 149 6 1 2
1999 LAN OF 145 145 235 7 7 1
2000 LAN OF 139 139 203 5 10 0
2001 LAN OF 141 141 195 17 6 0
2002 ATL OF 127 127 232 7 4 0
2003 ATL OF 153 154 283 7 4 2
2004 NYA 3B 2 0 0 0 1 0
2004 NYA OF 136 136 271 11 5 3
2005 NYA OF 131 130 239 5 3 0
2006 NYA 1B 9 9 56 3 1 4
2006 NYA OF 21 20 39 1 1 0
2007 DET OF 12 12 25 1 0 0
2008 DET OF 6 6 13 0 0 0
2009 NYN OF 63 62 96 4 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 9
Third Base 468
Shortstop 94
Left Field 487
Right Field 1160
Designated Hitter 302

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2007 Player of the Week Week of 2007-06-09
2005 Player of the Week Week of 2005-07-16
2005 Silver Slugger OF
2004 Player of the Week Week of 2004-06-05
2004 Silver Slugger OF
2003 Player of the Week Week of 2003-05-17
2003 Silver Slugger OF
2003 TSN All-Star OF
2001 Player of the Week Week of 2001-04-14
2000 Player of the Week Week of 2000-06-17
2000 Player of the Week Week of 2000-07-15
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-08-10
1996 Silver Slugger OF
1996 TSN All-Star OF
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-09-23
1994 Player of the Week Week of 1994-04-30
1993 Player of the Week Week of 1993-06-12
1992 Player of the Month August
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-05-23
1992 Silver Slugger 3B
1992 TSN All-Star 3B
1992 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1992 TSN Major League Player of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2009 NYN NL $14,000,000
2008 DET AL $13,326,306
2007 DET AL $10,916,071
2006 NYA AL $10,756,171
2005 NYA AL $13,000,000
2004 NYA AL $13,000,000
2003 ATL NL $11,416,667
2002 ATL NL $9,916,667
2001 LAN NL $9,916,667
2000 LAN NL $9,916,667
1999 LAN NL $9,956,667
1998 FLO NL $14,936,667
1997 FLO NL $6,100,000
1996 FLO NL $6,135,000
1995 FLO NL $5,625,000
1994 FLO NL $4,625,000
1993 SDN NL $3,110,000
1992 SDN NL $750,000
1991 ML4 AL $400,000
1990 ML4 AL $115,000
1989 ML4 AL $90,000
Total Career Earnings $168,008,550

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2005 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 84.0 392 0
2004 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 254.0 392 5
2003 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 247.0 448 1
2002 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 6.0 448 0
2000 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 71.0 448 0
1996 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 112.0 392 0
1992 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 204.0 336 2