SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Gary Sheffield is an everyday cleanup hitter again at age 40 and relishing the role.
Sheffield knows he can produce consistently for the New York Mets – and they sure are counting on that right now.
With slugger Carlos Delgado on the disabled list for what could be a prolonged injury to his right hip, Sheffield has suddenly become quite the impressive replacement.
“It’s hard to defend that, when you’re 40 years old, and it’s hard to convince somebody that you still can do what you did at 32 or 33 because you sound like the old guy hoping people believe you,” Sheffield said Sunday. “It’s just going with the program. If you don’t think I can do it, I’ll sit there and be more than happy to come off the bench. But when I get the opportunity to do it, I’ll go out there and do it.”
And that’s exactly what he’s done.
s done that in more than three years. He was batting .440 (11-for-25) with a home run, three RBIs, 11 runs scored and two doubles in his previous eight games.
The Mets aren’t looking for home runs from Sheffield but rather a focus on having solid at-bats each time he steps into the box.
“I discussed that with him earlier and told him that basically we’re looking for a hitter, not a slugger,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “He’s also a guy who can run. He’s not a typical big slugger. He can be a good hitter. You like to see that instant offense but at the same time you like to see guys constantly playing the game in a format that can permeate with everybody else, and everybody else starts to do the little things.”
New York’s management certainly didn’t know Sheffield would be a regular when he joined the team early last month following his release from Detroit. He later hit his 500th career home run. Sheffield was attracted to the idea of getting back to the Big Apple after he played for the Yankees from 2004-06.
His teammates are thrilled to see such a steady Sheffield at this stage of his decorated career.
“He’s done it before,” said third baseman David Wright, the man who helped recruit Sheffield to the Mets this spring. “He’s done it his whole career. This isn’t anything surprising or shocking. He has a lightning-quick bat.”
He’s a bargain, too.
s because of shoulder injuries and other issues last season with the Tigers, the former first-round draft pick hit just .225 with 19 home runs and 57 RBIs. He batted .178 with five homers in 45 spring training at-bats this year.
The Tigers are responsible for $13.6 million of his $14 million contract, leaving the Mets on the hook for only the major league minimum of $400,000.
None of that matters to Sheffield, who is just happy to be back in the mix as a regular.
“It’s always refreshing to be getting consistent at-bats,” he said. “That way if you don’t do something right you can go up and correct it the next time and try to improve on it every at-bat as opposed to just getting one and that being it. If it ends bad, that’s your last memory until your next one. I think this is going to help me in the long run.”
It doesn’t hurt to be hitting between Carlos Beltran and Wright, either.
“That helps a lot,” Manuel said. “It puts in him in a very good spot. It gives him a chance to see pitches and it gives him a chance, obviously, to see a lot of strikes. He’s a very patient hitter. It’s been a real good situation for him and for us.”
Manuel’s primary task is to monitor Sheffield in order to give him adequate rest when needed so he doesn’t get fatigued and then require extra time off for his body to recover. Both the skipper and right fielder say the key is regular communication.
fact, Manuel figured he’d have to give Sheffield a day off at some point during the four-game series against the Giants, which kicked off a 10-game road trip for the Mets.
“It’s going to be a tough challenge, no doubt about that. I have to rely on him,” Manuel said. “He’s swinging the bat well and playing decent in the outfield. I asked him the other day how he feels on the bases and he said he feels good. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Especially considering the Mets are on a roll in May – why mess with what’s working?
“At this point, I came here to win,” Sheffield said. “Whatever they ask me to do, I’m more than willing to do it. I had to make a commitment with myself to continue to go out there and play. If they put me in there on an everyday basis, I’m going to be ready.”
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