Sheffield stays at 40.6% in Hall of Fame tally
Longtime outfielder in 8th year on ballot; Big Papi the only electee for '22
MIAMI -- Former Marlins outfielder Gary Sheffield on Tuesday night was named to 40.6 percent of the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Hall of Fame ballots for the second consecutive year. Seventy-five percent is needed to be elected into Cooperstown. Sheffield, who appeared on the ballot for the eighth time, has two years remaining.
Known for his iconic bat waggle, Sheffield spent six of his 22 Major League seasons in South Florida -- his longest stint of eight stops. It began on June 24, 1993, when the expansion Marlins acquired Sheffield and left-hander Rich Rodriguez from the Padres in a trade for future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman as well as right-handers Andres Berumen and Jose Martinez.
Across 558 games with the Marlins from 1993-98, Sheffield collected 538 of his 2,689 hits, knocked 122 of his 509 homers, tallied 380 of his 1,676 RBIs and recorded 74 of his 253 stolen bases. He slashed .288/.426/.543 with a 156 OPS+, winning a Silver Slugger, making the All-Star team and finishing sixth in NL MVP voting in '96. Sheffield had a .943 OPS during the 1997 World Series, as the Marlins became the fastest expansion franchise at the time to win the championship.
But Sheffield's tenure ended on May 14, 1998, as he was dealt along with Manuel Barrios, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and Charles Johnson to the Dodgers for future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and catcher Todd Zeile.
Left-hander Mark Buehrle received votes on 5.8 percent of the ballots, down from 11 percent in his first year. Buehrle spent just one season with the Marlins, going 13-13 with a 3.74 ERA in 31 starts and capturing his fourth and final Gold Glove in 2012; he remains the only pitcher in franchise history to win the award.
Buehrle had signed a four-year, $58 million contract as part of the organization's rebrand to Miami and move to a new ballpark. The Marlins sent him to the Blue Jays that offseason in a blockbuster 13-player trade that included Emilio Bonif¨¢cio, John Buck, Josh Johnson, Jos¨¦ Reyes and cash for Henderson Alvarez III, Anthony DeSclafani, Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarr¨ªa, Jake Marisnick, Jeff Mathis and Justin Nicolino.