110 Greatest Baseball Player

101.  RF Gary Sheffield, Florida Marlins

Sheffield first came of note while still in Elementary School as a star pitcher for Belmont Heights High School (Florida) in the Little League World Series.  He was remembered again when his uncle, Dwight Gooden, became a star pitcher for the New York Mets in 1984.  Sheffield was noticed again in 1986 when he was drafted in the first round by the Milwaukee Brewers.    He broke into the Majors in 1988 at the young age of 19.  He was named to the Topps All-Rookie Team in 1989.  He was suspended in 1990 for three games for inciting a brawl.  He went to San Diego in 1992, where he won a Player-of-the-Week Award, a Player-of-the-Month Award, participated in the Home Run Derby, played in the All-Star Game, won the National League Batting Title, won a Silver Slugger Award and was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year.  In 1993, he was suspended for three games for inciting a brawl, won a Player-of-the-Week Award and played in the All-Star Game while being traded to the Marlins mid-season.  He won a Player-of-the-Week Award in 1994.  He won a Player-of-the-Week Award in 1995.  In 1996, he won a Player-of-the-Week Award, participated in the Home Run Derby, played in the All-Star Game, finished the season with 42 home runs and won a Silver Slugger Award.  He won a World Series with the Marlins in 1997.  In 1998, he signed a contract with the Dodgers which made him the highest-paid player in the Majors and played in the All-Star Game.  He played in the All-Star Game in 1999.  In 2000, he was suspended for five games for having an altercation with fans, won two Player-of-the-Week Awards, played in the All-Star Game, and finished the season with 43 home runs.  He won a Player-of-the-Week Award in 2001.  He went to Atlanta in 2002.  In 2003, he won a Player-of-the-Week Award, participated in the Home Run Derby, played in the All-Star Game and won a Silver Slugger Award.  He moved on to the Yankees in 2004, where he won a Player-of-the-Week Award, played in the All-Star Game and won a Silver Slugger Award.  In 2005, he was suspended for one game for having an altercation with a fan, won a Player-of-the-Week Award, played in the All-Star Game and won a Silver Slugger Award.  He went to Detroit in 2007, where he was suspended for three games for making aggressive actions toward an umpire and won a Player-of-the-Week Award.  In 2008, it was revealed that he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career and he was suspended for four games for fighting in a bench-clearing brawl.  He moved on to the Mets in 2009 and hit his 500th career home run before retiring.  He finished his career with 509 home runs and 1,676 runs batted in.  Sheffield is also known for being Dwight Gooden's nephew and for being married to singer DeLeon Richards.  On paper, there is no doubt about Sheffield's place among the greats.  But again we are faced with the PED problem.  If LeRoy attempted to alter his stats to take the drugs into account, Sheffield probably still would have cracked the list in about the same spot as he's in now, trading hits and stolen bases for home runs and runs batted in.

Honorable Mention:

1B Boog Powell, Baltimore Orioles

Powell first gained notice while playing in elementary school for playing in the Little League World Series with Lakeland, Florida.  He got to the Majors with Baltimore in 1961 and was named to the Topps All-Rookie Team in 1962.  In 1966, he won a World Series with the Orioles and was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year.  He played in the All-Star Game in 1968.  He played in the All-Star Game in 1969.  In 1970, he played in the All-Star Game, won a World Series with the Orioles and was named the American League Most Valuable Player.  He played in the All-Star Game in 1971.  He went to Cleveland in 1975 and was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year.  He finished his career by spending another year in Cleveland and a year with the Dodgers.  He retired with 339 home runs and 1,187 runs batted in in his career.  He was snubbed by the BBWAA and he won't make this list either.