Yankees great Gary Sheffield’s HOF chances increasing in 9th year of eligibility

Former New York Yankees OF Gary Sheffield put together a dominant 21-year career that has earned him placement on the BBWA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. With his eligibility soon to expire, Sheffield has seen an increase in votes in 2023.

Yankees: Sheffield Creeping Closer to Hall of Fame Entry

According to Hall of Fame tracker Ryan Thibodeaux, writer Aaron Rubin gave Sheffield a vote on his ballot, with Sheffield entering his ninth year in the running:

Ballot #1 is from Adam Rubin. Gary Sheffield, in his final year of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot, gains a vote and is +1. First-year candidates Adrián Beltré, Chase Utley and David Wright receive Rubin's vote.

In the Tracker: https://t.co/RUHpeYKr8N pic.twitter.com/e9DXxuE5Ox

— Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs) November 25, 2023

Sheffield was a special talent that could hit for both power and average. Known for his signature batting stance, Sheffield spent three of his latter seasons in the MLB with the Yankees. He put up 70 home runs in his first two years in the Bronx and in totality put together a .291/.383/.515 slash line.

For his career, Sheffield suited up for eight franchises and amassed 1,796 career hits. His 80.7 offensive WAR ranks No. 37 all-time and he also ranks No. 27 in home runs (507) and No. 30 in RBIs (1,676). Sheffield was a nine-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger award winner, and a World Series Champion in 1997 with the Florida Marlins.

• Yankees’ Aaron Judge gets ejected over ridiculous call
• Yankees secure a series win as they cruise to a 5-3 victory over the Tigers
• Yankees are featuring an extremely unlikely cleanup hitter

Who is Sheffield Up Against For a HOF Bid?

Sheffield retired in 2009 and entered the HOF ballot in his first year of eligibility in 2015. After years of no success, Sheffield has now amassed 40.9 percent of votes. He needs 75 percent in order to make it into Cooperstown.

He is up against a litany of other greats including fellow former Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettite, Manny Ramirez (Boston Red Sox), and Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia Phillies). Scott Rolen is the leading vote-getter this year at 63.2 percent.

Sheffield has this year and next to get into the Hall of Fame before his chances run out. His body of work and name recognition made him a superstar and household name during his tenure. Time will tell if he’s immortalized among the best to ever do it.