Former Detroit Tigers slugger Gary Sheffield not elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Former Detroit Tigers OF/DH Gary Sheffield falls short of Hall of Fame.

The Detroit Tigers faithful may have been tuning in to the 2023 Hall of Fame announcements to see how some former Tigers players fared in the voting results. But, with this year's announcement of three players joining the Baseball Hall of Fame, one former Tigers window has ended.

Former Detroit Tigers outfielder and designated hitter Gary Sheffield did not receive enough votes to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This was his tenth year on the ballot, meaning he will not be on the ballot & able to receive votes next year. However, the Era committee may be able to vote him in, as they have done to other players in the past, but time will tell with that.

Sheffield joins a group of names like Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, and former Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Morris to receive a good chunk of votes, but not enough. (Morris still got in during his second chance with the Modern Era committee). Sheffield appeared on 63.9% of the BBWAA ballots, but it was not enough to get him elected by the Writers Association.

The speculation stems from Sheffield being named in the Mitchell Report, which was the huge scandal that included a whole list of MLBers who were using steroids from the heralded "Steroid Era' of longballs. He only played for Detroit for two years, clubbing 44 home runs (25 & 19 respectively).

He was a feared hitter in the Tigers' lineup but built his career elsewhere well before he arrived in Detroit. Sheffield was a nine-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger winner, Batting Title winner, and World Series winner during his career. He finished with a lifetime .292 average, managing 2,689 hits and 509 home runs.

Besides the Tigers, Sheffield played for the then-Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, and Atlanta Braves. He had a career spanning 22 years, and while he's off the ballot now, his Hall of Fame hopes may not be completely done with yet.

3 Players Inducted to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024 class.

The Hall of Fame voting ended, and with that came the announcement of which players will be entering Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2024. Three players were named to the 2024 Hall of Fame class, with all of them being hitters. Former Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, former Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, and former third baseman Adrian Beltre.

These three players will be inducted alongside former Detroit Tigers skipper Jim Leyland, who was induced by the Contemporary Committee. Mauer's a familiar face for Tigers fans, as he beat up on Detroit for fifteen years with Minnesota as an American League Central rival; he'll head to the Hall of Fame in year one on the ballot, being the third catcher to earn that honor.

Beltre, Helton, and Mauer will each enter the Hall of Fame this summer after all three appeared on more than 75% of the BBWAA ballots for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Beltre was on 95.1% of ballots in year one, Mauer was on 76.1% of ballots in year one, and Helton was on 79.7% of ballots in year six on the ballot.