Gary Sheffield was surely quite possibly the most perilous force hitters of his age. Nonetheless, to the extent the current age of Major League Baseball goes, Sheffield isn’t by and large a colossal fan.
In an appearance on the “Tiki and Tierney Show” on CBS Sports Radio on Friday, the nine-time All-Star uncovered that he doesn’t watch baseball “by any means” because of things like strikeouts and the shift.
“I don’t watch baseball at all,” said the 52-year-old Sheffield. “I was kind of forced to watch baseball, because I was working with TBS. And so I had to remember, really find out who were these players. I’ll tell you the secret now: I never watched the games during the season. I would get educated on it when I got there… It’s not something that I could watch, based on what I’m seeing, because I’ll be a complainer… This is the first time I’ve ever said that out loud, but I’m just truly disappointed with what I watch.”
Sheffield additionally isn’t a fanatic of the current game and accepts that homers aren’t so much as a serious deal any longer.
“[Baseball was exciting] when I was playing. They implemented all these rules now and they’ve changed the game so much, they’re making it more hitter-friendly — even without having success,” he added. “These folks can go out there and strike out 180, 190 times, and it’s alright… Presently, a grand slam is less engaging, when a homer was serious and more engaging [when I played] on the grounds that it wasn’t occurring as regularly as it is currently… I see a spring up player that everyone inclines toward – he’s the substance of the group, the essence of the city – and he has 100 strikeouts in April…
“When I see stuff like that, I’m not one of those older players that scoffs at the game and then talks about the game in a negative light… that doesn’t mean I have to watch it.”
During his MLB vocation, Sheffield slugged 509 homers in 22 seasons while likewise being in the running for alliance MVP on a few events. Sheffield likewise was a five-time Silver Slugger Award victor and finished his profession with 1,475 strolls contrasted with 1,171 strikeouts.
