“You can’t take for granted that just
because you’ve got all this talent, that
everything will just come together
because it’s supposed to.”
because you’ve got all this talent, that
everything will just come together
because it’s supposed to.”
Gary Sheffield when the Tigers signed him
This is one apple the Big Apple did not need. For now, though, score one for the Mets. For the salary of Jeremy Reed, they have landed the 'Sheff.' He may not be good at paying child support. He may not be good at being a role model. But he fits right in on a team that once hosted Dwight Gooden and Darrell Strawberry.
If he has a remnant touch of his past power and glimpses of gold, in that marvelous swing, he can hit number 500 for fantasy enthusiasts at Citi Field. The Tigers could care less. The nine time All Star was hitting .178 in the Grapefruit League after a .225 BA in 2008. Not the way to build with the future when you can acquire Josh Anderson and have Curtis Granderson in center.
The real play here is can Sheff come back from injuries, a year at DH, and be the stunning slugger he once was? The guy is now 40. He is no longer the five tool player who started his career with the Brewers, Padres, and Marlins. He is past his prime, lingering in the yard perhaps too long. But he was once a terror in the lineup, more than just for fantasy ball.
But how does it effect the balance of your squad if you have made a play on Daniel Murphy or Ryan Church? Sheff, if he plays, has to bat and play the field. One of those three will sit. My take is this, a couple of weeks in the minors and the Mets give Sheff a full time run at a stint in left field.
There is always time to let Murphy develop. No reason why they can’t platoon him now with Ryan Church, still recovering from that concussion last year. The Mets play Sheff, see he is this year’s Andruw Jones, and they call it quits by June, when they see his shoulder and swing ain’t what it used to be.
Hanging ‘em up is never easy. Not for Willie Mays, Steve Carlton, Warren Spahn or countless others. But Sheff’s glamour days are gone. And returning him to the Big Apple for the occasional blast might be more rewarding if they told him up front he was going to be a pinch hitter. I know this, I would not bet the farm on him. I don't think the Mets need to sell tickets at the new park. But having Sheff in the lineup, even off the bench, brings an awe to the crowd in a close game. Might end with an aww, shucks, but when his name is broadcast to the fans by a PA announcer, it justs gives you more hope than hearing his name than say, oh that Marlon Anderson is coming up to hit with the game on the line.
Jeremy Reed hung on only because of a strong spring and is likely no more than a defensive late inning replacement. Nick Evans takes a hit with Sheffield on board. So does Fernando Tatis, a surprise and fluke last season who the Mets cannot count on for 2009 except off the bench as a pinch hitter. And that is where I see Sheffield winding up.
Hard to believe, for sure, but this is baseball, and it is a sport of changing generations. Sheffield may have played Hall of Fame baseball in 1999 and we will remember him that way. Don’t see that happening in 2009.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/04/04/2009-04-04_mets_and_yankees_fans_go_gaga_over_new_y.html
The real play here is can Sheff come back from injuries, a year at DH, and be the stunning slugger he once was? The guy is now 40. He is no longer the five tool player who started his career with the Brewers, Padres, and Marlins. He is past his prime, lingering in the yard perhaps too long. But he was once a terror in the lineup, more than just for fantasy ball.
But how does it effect the balance of your squad if you have made a play on Daniel Murphy or Ryan Church? Sheff, if he plays, has to bat and play the field. One of those three will sit. My take is this, a couple of weeks in the minors and the Mets give Sheff a full time run at a stint in left field.
There is always time to let Murphy develop. No reason why they can’t platoon him now with Ryan Church, still recovering from that concussion last year. The Mets play Sheff, see he is this year’s Andruw Jones, and they call it quits by June, when they see his shoulder and swing ain’t what it used to be.
Hanging ‘em up is never easy. Not for Willie Mays, Steve Carlton, Warren Spahn or countless others. But Sheff’s glamour days are gone. And returning him to the Big Apple for the occasional blast might be more rewarding if they told him up front he was going to be a pinch hitter. I know this, I would not bet the farm on him. I don't think the Mets need to sell tickets at the new park. But having Sheff in the lineup, even off the bench, brings an awe to the crowd in a close game. Might end with an aww, shucks, but when his name is broadcast to the fans by a PA announcer, it justs gives you more hope than hearing his name than say, oh that Marlon Anderson is coming up to hit with the game on the line.
Jeremy Reed hung on only because of a strong spring and is likely no more than a defensive late inning replacement. Nick Evans takes a hit with Sheffield on board. So does Fernando Tatis, a surprise and fluke last season who the Mets cannot count on for 2009 except off the bench as a pinch hitter. And that is where I see Sheffield winding up.
Hard to believe, for sure, but this is baseball, and it is a sport of changing generations. Sheffield may have played Hall of Fame baseball in 1999 and we will remember him that way. Don’t see that happening in 2009.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/04/04/2009-04-04_mets_and_yankees_fans_go_gaga_over_new_y.html
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