San Francisco Giants: Barry Bonds and My IBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot

Gary Sheffield
60.3 Career WAR, .292/.393/.514/.907, 2689 hits, 509 HR’s, 1676 RBI’s, 1475 BB’s

Gary Sheffield had the fastest bat I ever saw. People always comment on the beautiful and quick swing of Ken Griffey Jr., but Sheffield’s swing was something to watch. The constant movement of the bat made his home runs majestic. All 509 of them. Baseball writers used to set bars for the Hall of Fame and 500 home runs was one of the those plateaus a player needed to hit to be certain of a bust at Cooperstown one day. But as with many players on this list, Sheffield is linked to steroids. As a power hitter, his impact on the game leaves no doubts. No matter who he played for he was productive. He did his job in the middle of the order year after year. That kind of consistency is rare.