STRONG STATEMENT SHEFFIELD ARRIVES HEALTHY, SAYS 50 HOMERS ARE POSSIBLE.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer VERO BEACH Vero Beach (vēr`o), city (1990 pop. 17,350), seat of Indian River co., E Fla., on Indian River (a lagoon and part of the Intracoastal Waterway); founded c.1888, inc. 1919. , Fla. - Near the end of last season, Gary Sheffield
Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968 in Tampa, Florida) is a Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. said he wasn't producing close to what he's capable of doing. It was at the end of a year in which he became the first Dodger since the club moved West to hit at least .300 with 30 homers and reach triple figures in RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in , walks and runs scored. Now Sheffield, coming off an offseason workout program in which he's become stronger and more fit, says he's in position to do more. ``I feel I haven't peaked yet,'' Sheffield said after Friday's workout at Dodgertown. ``I still feel I can reach the 50-home-run mark, and I can achieve that, or higher. It's not a goal I put on myself, but it's something I could reach. ``My shoulders have been giving me more trouble than I expected, but over time they're going to come around and you're going to see that explosion, you're going to see that hop in my legs and everything that goes along in a game. Taking over a ballgame, or taking over games over a period of two months or three months. That's something I'm accustomed to doing and I cherish doing.'' Doubt all you want about how good Sheffield can be - the Dodgers record for homers in a season is Duke Snider's 43 - but his talent, matched with his commitment and health, is unmistakable. ``I believe Gary can do pretty much whatever he puts his mind to if he's healthy,'' Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone
Kevin Malone is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. said. ``I wouldn't rule anything out for him. I've seen him do some amazing things. He has tremendous bat speed.'' During a miserable '99, Sheffield was one of the few positives for the Dodgers. He hit .301, and his 34 homers and 101 RBI were his highest totals in four seasons. And he did that with the aches and pains that had others asking out of the lineup. Not wanting to endure it again, Sheffield spent an offseason rebuilding strength in his legs and rehabbing his sore shoulders. ``I was ready to go in January,'' Sheffield said. ``I told my wife (DeLeon), once the first of the year hit, after that Y2K See Y2K problem and Y2K compliant. Y2K - Year 2000 thing was OK, I was like `Hey, we survived this millennium, it's going to be different.' I spent my millennium in church and it made me feel better. I felt better about myself and about my situation. ``Coming into spring training, I had that fire back. Coming in here, I'm not even allowing myself to get sore. I'm feeling that good, that focused.'' From the moment Sheffield set foot in Dodgertown, the buzz has been about his condition. That obviously helps, but so does his mental state. A year ago, Sheffield had personal issues that had to be resolved. In fact, he left camp with the blessing of management to tend to them. Sheffield, 31, also was having trouble with his shoulder, and the issue of learning a new position for the third time in his 12-year career lurked. Naturally a shortstop, Sheffield played third and right field. But with Raul Mondesi in right last season, Sheffield was asked to play left field. He did, and was anything but a defensive liability. ``He has a tremendous amount of pride,'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson The Dodgers added depth to their bullpen, added Shawn Green's left- handed bat to protect Sheffield in the third spot in the lineup, and split the right-handed duo of Sheffield and Eric Karros The only question in the lineup is who's going to take Eric Young's spot as the leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. Strategy Leadoff hitters must possess certain traits to be successful: they must reach base at a proficient rate and be able to steal bases. . The early favorites are Devon White
``I sense that it's a more stable clubhouse than before,'' Sheffield said. ``There's not a lot of things going on outside of the game and not a lot of things being said. We're just going out and taking care of our business. We're optimistic about the season, and rightfully, we should be.'' PREDICTING POWER Gary Sheffield says he has the potential to hit 50 home runs this season, a figure that's never been approached by a Dodger. Here are the top 10 home-run hitting seasons in Dodgers history: Player, Year Home runs Duke Snider Duke Snider, 1953 42 Gil Hodges Duke Snider, 1955 42 Roy Campanella Gil Hodges, 1951 40 Duke Snider, 1954 40 Duke Snider, 1957 40 Mike Piazza, 1997 40 Mike Piazza, 1996 36 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Gary Sheffield is coming off an offseason workout program that has made him stronger. The left fielder hit 34 home runs and had 101 RBI last season. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News (2) Gary Sheffield, left, and Shawn Green sign autographs for fans at Holman Stadium. Sheffield says he's finally healthy. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press Box: Predicting power (see text) |
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