Who knew back in 1989 when collectors were ripping through packs of Topps and pulling Gary Sheffield’s ‘Future Star’ rookie card that someday this young, humble man would someday reach the elite 500 Home Run Club?
That’s exactly what happened tonight when Sheffield, playing on his 8th team, finally hit number 500. Now into his 22nd season and first with the New York Mets after being released by the Detroit Tigers in Spring Training, Gary sees more time on the bench than on the field. Still, we all knew this day would come.
As you can imagine, Gary Sheffield’s best years came right in the middle of the Steroid epidemic, which he has been directly linked to multiple times. In some ways, I feel bad that he’s had to take much of the heat while other 500 and 600 home run players don’t even have to dodge the questions because they simply don’t get them.
Gary is a little bit wacko, a whole lot conceited, and now after tonight has a guaranteed ticket to the Hall of Fame. He’ll just have to wait until they let Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa inside the doors of Cooperstown.
Congratulations on 500 career home runs.
I hope you don’t mind the wait.
I think the 500 club is still fairly elite – tens or hundreds of thousands of hitters have played MLB, the DH has been in effect 36 years to prolong a geezer’s career, and only like 25 are in the club. It’s like having to hit 30 homers for 16.6 seasons to reach the plateau, so you have to be a prolific homer hitter for what probably works out to longer than an average MLB hitters career.
Now, with smaller ballparks being built and future further expansion to make it so anyone and their momma can pitch in the MLB, I may eventualy change my mind about the 500 club, but for now it’s special.
Given Sheffield’s steroid usage as well as the general upsurge in home runs over the past twenty years, having 500 HR by no means guarantees him entry into the HOF. Much like Fred McGriff and Rafael Palmiero, who also have 500 HR, he seems to fall into the category of “very good but not great”.
The Crime Dog never made it to 500.
Palmeiro on the other hand had 500 HR & 3,000 hits and is MIA.
Sheffield was great before steroids era, but does he get to 500 without? I seriously doubt it. Palmeiro will be and was underrated. He was a great hitter and would’ve been in any era.
I saw this last night on TV and it tied the Met game with the Brewers. Thats how Gary Sheffield’s career affected me. Thats it.
I don’t think it’s an automatic ticket to the HOF anymore. You have to be LIKED by the Baseball Writers as well.
I wonder if his attitude, the steroid era and moving around to 8 teams will affect his HOF.
I don’t think I’ve ever disagreed with a post on this website more then this one. In the history of Major League Baseball Gary Sheffield is only the 25th person ever to hit 500 home runs. Let that sink in for a bit… #25! Major league baseball is not a frat club. You don’t get to stick around for 22 years because people think your fun to hang around. The fact is achieving this milestone is still a major achievement and Gary should be proud of himself. Yeah, he’s not the player he once was but can you really expect him to be? His first hit as a Met was a home run, that says something about the game this guy still has.
I’m probably a bit partial as I run a website for the 500 Home Run Club at http://www.500hrc.com but when you look at the guys that are in this club every one of them is a household name to even the most casual of sports fan. These guys are the baseball cards that will retain their value over time, these are the guys that you’ll tell your kids and grandkids about. Yeah, Sheff was not a humble guy and pretty much a chump but I don’t think “Niceness” is a stat.
The 500 Home Run Club will always be a major milestone, even when there are twice as many members.
500 HR, 2600 Hits, 1600 RBI, .292 career hitter, .910 OPS…that is a yes from me.
Ken, that’s a very cool site.
My problem is that almost every recent 500 HRC member has been dirty in one way or another.
McGwire, Palmeiro, Sosa, Bonds, and now Sheffield.
None of these players could have done so without the Juice.
Don’t even get me started on Thome, a 30-35 HR guy in Cleveland who suddenly became Bonds-like in the late-90′s.
Ken, I like your take on Sheff, but to me he was a lot better than Sosa and McGwire. Those are the guys and to a lesser extent Palmeiro that just don’t have it like the older 500 HRC guys.
What is the connection between Thome and Bonds?
Is there a steroid link that is not talked about since Thome is perceived as a good guy?
How many World Series has that a-hole played in?
In all this mess, one of Baseball’s Greatest is never second guessed, Hall of Famer or not. I may be wrong, but how many times have you heard a peep out of Nolan Ryan? or even a mention of the possibility, that statistically, the best Pitcher to ever grace the mound juiced it up. I am a former Pitcher myself, and can’t fathom why Ryan has never to my knowledge, been called into question. I love the SI.com feature on A-Rod, that display’s the then and now photo’s, only because I saw very little change, in the photo’s.
The true without a doubt, then and now photo’s belong to Nolan Ryan, from the 67′ Mets to the 93′ Ranger’s, if you want to see change-You will Indeed See It. The 27 season’s, 5714K’s, 7 No-Hitter’s are in my opinion questionable & for anyone, to even think, that there is nothing to this, would be ludicrous. Nolan was pitching in the 100′s, even after age 40-Freak of Nature or Freak of Science? His final pitch was 98mph, I guess we don’t go after HOF Members, this has leg’s & everyone knows it! If you are going to chase down hitter’s-you should do the same for pitcher’s-Hall of Famer’s included.