I don't think so, regardless of whether or not he used roids...or the clear...or the cream...or whatever he admitted to using after he got caught using.

Gary Sheffield has always been a sore spot on the game. He's a nasty person and is not the kind of guy I want to show my kid when we visit Cooperstown.

NO.    He surly does NOT belong in the hall of Fame . He has 500 home runs , but that is all. He has a loser, selfish memtality , and he was never that good in the field .

   He admitted to screwing up in the field in order to be traded, what is that ????  Nah, anyone

as selfish as that deserves to be left by the way side ....The most one dimensional player to come along since Post steroid Barry Bonds , Sheffield deserves to be ignored .......

Too much of a headache his whole career. Nothing out of the ordinary. The only reason he is being considered is the 500 homers, but if you look at his body in the last 10 years, do you see a little Barry Bonds there ? maybe the steroids factor. This is going to have to be considered in the future . Steroids factor in to so many players , it makes you wonder if the majority of players were dirty. Getting back to Sheffield, he was never too much with the glove either, so again, I say no to him in the hall.

Absolutely YES... I'm not a Sheffield fan, but anyone who hits or pitches a 'benchmark" gets my vote... 500 hr's... 3000 hits... 300 wins or 3000 strikeouts... these are monster numbers, even in an era of steroids and there is no evidence that Sheff was involved, therefore, he might be one of the only legit round baggers in baseball...

And you might be right that his credentials might be lacking, but 500 home runs gets my vote... my guess Steve is you would vote for Scotty Pippin for the bb hall... but he quit with a few seconds to go in a playoff game because Jackson called Kukoc's number... by the way Jackson was right, Kukoc hit the three for the win... quit on his team... stupidty shouldn't keep them from the Hall... steroids should

And any time I can rant on the Hall... 4000 hits, never did steroids, never bet as a player... was one of the very best of his era and the Hall keeps him out because of something he did after his playing days... keep him out of baseball because he bet... but he did so as a manager, not as a player... put Rose in... he's a moron... a really big moron as a baseball manager, but he's a Hall of Fame baseball player.

As of now? Yes. He may be surly and not the best teammate but he's one of the best and most feared hitters of this era. I watched this man hit the ball out of Safeco Field - foul, but no one else including McGwire has been able to match that. And his longevity has surprised me.

On the other hand, if it comes to light he has ever used steroids, and his vaunted strength has come by artificial means, he will never nor does he deserve to get to the Hall.

I don't think the 500 home runs is all that important. More important are his 22 years, 2600+ hits and .292 / .394/ .516 overall line. I think he is probably headed to the hall, but it will take some time. He played in an era of massively inflated homeruns, slugging and on-base percentage, so it is tough to be an historic gauge on him.

Looking at b-r, 6 of his top ten comparables are in the HoF, another 3 are active (Griffey, Thomas, Bagwell) and pretty sure to make it. That is a strongly indicative of a HoFer.

And, BTW, I don't think 500 home runs means much in this era. However his career .292 / .394/ .516 line over 22 seasons and 2600+ hits does mean a lot. He isn't a first-round guy in my opinion, but he will in all likelyhood make it.

The HOF certainly doesn't mean much anymore. Their library and museum are stunning but there are so many players that are worthy on the outside looking in. It's not inclusive. The greatest hitter of all time (Joe Jackson), the hits leader (Peter Rose) and the HR leader (Barry Bonds) are not inducted. Yes, I know Bonds isn't eligible yet but you and I know he will never be inducted.

He is in unless more damaging information emerges about steroids use

Proves how unfailr life is, when a great guy like Mark Fidrych has nothing but bad luck his entire career, does not have an ounce of bitterness about it, then dies in a freak accident. While a total big mouth scum, who has never appreciated anything, and always put himself above the team, can milk his playing career long enough to hit his 500th home run. Makes me wonder.

Hall of What-ifs yes,Hall of Fame no.What if he had not taken steroids,what if he wasn't such a flaming rager,what if he had more homeruns than McGwire,what if he gave back to the community like McGwire,what if he wasn't such a racist,what if he did not whine all the time,what if he wasn't so self centered.These are the attributes a Hall of Famer needs,not a little stub that says 500.

Hi,

In my mind, there is no doubt that Gary Sheffield deserves to be in the hall of fame. If 500 home runs doesn't get you in what does? I remember him as a 19 year old shortstop playing in Milwaukee. I remember he was always concerned with his contract. I also remember there were few people that could hit like him. I say HOF in his 4th year of eligibility. Anything else would be a shame. ..

Yankees Fan

You can't deny the numbers and that, after all, is what we use as a criteria for entrance, not character.  As to some of the other stuff - Whether Pete Rose gambled as a player or not we don't know for sure.  He got caught and convicted as a manager - That we know.  To me, it seems unlikely he only discovered gambling once he hung up the spikes, but that's me. Sheff was one of the premier hitters of his era, seems to have been clean for for the majority of his career, doesn't have an arrest record - you can't ask too much more as the entrance price.

-z-

"Sheffield joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson as the only players with 500 homers and at least 2,500 hits, 1,500 RBIs and 200 stolen bases."

Um... yeah, he deserves it. He's one of the best hitters. Ever. It's the BASEBALL Hall of Fame, not the "Gee, He Sure is a Nice Guy" Hall of Fame.

Wow!!! I sure learned much about Gary reading this, I hope all the negatives are true because I would not have voted for him.

John

NO!! He is a whining crybaby. Nothing is ever his fault. He can't get along with his fellow players and most teams have found him to be a detriment to the team.

"Sheffield joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson as the only players with 500 homers and at least 2,500 hits, 1,500 RBIs and 200 stolen bases."

If this was about character, then there may be something to argue. Providing he's clear of drug-use, there is no way that one can reasonably argue his omission. It's the BASEBALL Hall of Fame, not the "Gee, He Sure is a Nice Guy" Hall of Fame. Ty Cobb wasn't exactly a sweetheart; and Roger Maris was abhored by the media. But this isn't a personality contest; it's about talent. And Sheffield is a talented hitter who achieved a sports milestone. End of story.

For all you people here that say all Sheffield can claim in 500 HR's then you are not very smart baseball people. Besides his 509 career HR's he also is within 300 hits of making it to 3,000. Plus he is a great hitter with a career OBP of .393 and has only struck out 1,171 times in over 2,500 games! Plus his batting average is only 7 points under .300. The only problem might be the link to steroids. Although nothing has ever been proven. If stats are all they go by then he is a lock for the hall, with the only question being which hat does he wear going in.