When the Mets signed Gary Sheffield on April 3, most of the talk was about him having a limited playing schedule. “Limited” would not be the word to describe Sheffield’s impact for the Mets. The veteran outfielder has become the everyday cleanup hitter, filling the void left by the injured Carlos Delgado.
Sheffield cranked his fifth home run of the season on Tuesday night, a three-run blast that got the Mets to a 6-1 victory over the Nationals. Sheffield had back-to-back games with a 3-run-homerun to help the Mets get a victory. He now has 504 career homeruns.
Since returning on Friday in Boston, Sheffield is 5-for-12 with two home runs and six RBIs.
Sheffield as of Tuesday has 9 RBIs in the last 5 games.
Lately it’s been the backups providing the power in the Mets’ lineup, with reserve catchers Omir Santos and Ramon Castro joining Sheffield as the only Mets to homer in the team’s last 12 contests.
The injuries have Sheffield playing every day in the outfield, something he hasn’t done since 2006. Still, he doesn’t feel fatigued, joking that he feels only 35 after the game.
“I’m just keeping everything in perspective, doing the job while someone else is out and holding down the fort until they get back,” he said.
Gary Sheffield is batting a .291 average, 5 homeruns, and 17 RBIs.
Not to mention his great defense. That was one the major factors of whether or not Sheffield would play as Jerry Manuel questioned him being able to play. More then once his defense has stopped a runner from getting a possible double off the wall.
Gary Sheffield has proven to be one of the best pre-season pick ups for the Mets.
