Fansided

Former MLB star Gary Sheffield not a fan of today’s game

By Adam Taylor McKillop |
Cleveland Indians catcher Sandt Alomar (R) watches Florida Marlins player Gary Sheffield's (L) home run during the first inning of game three of the World Series at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OH. The best-of-seven series is tied at 1-1. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Cleveland Indians catcher Sandt Alomar (R) watches Florida Marlins player Gary Sheffield's (L) home run during the first inning of game three of the World Series at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OH. The best-of-seven series is tied at 1-1. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

Former MLB slugger and superstar Gary Sheffield has grown unhappy with the game of baseball. In fact, Sheffield claims that he can no longer watch MLB games with the current style of play.

The 22-year veteran made a recent appearance on the “Tiki and Tierney Show” on CBS Sports Radio, stating that he doesn’t watch MLB games anymore because of things such as the prominence of strikeouts and shifts.

Gary Sheffield claims he can no longer watch the MLB

“I don’t watch baseball at all,” said Sheffield. “I was kind of forced to watch baseball because I was working with TBS. I’ll tell you the secret now: I never watched the games during the season… It’s not something that I could watch, based on what I’m seeing, because I’ll be a complainer… This is the first time I’ve ever said that out loud, but I’m just truly disappointed with what I watch.”

These are pretty harsh words for a 22-year veteran that spent the majority of his life involved with the game.

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It’s easy to understand Sheffield’s frustration with today’s MLB. We live in a world of the ‘Three True Outcomes’. It’s sort of an exaggeration, but today’s hitters largely rely on these three outcomes: walk, strikeout, or home run. The game is jam-packed with lingo including launch angles, in which players have literally changed the mechanics of their swings in order to hit more home runs at the expense of striking out in record paces.

Analytics was a major force in this ‘Three True Outcomes’ trend alongside the prevalence of the shift. Teams shift around their standard defensive positioning at rates higher than we’ve ever seen in the history of the game.

In all honesty, baseball isn’t dying like the critics around the media and fan bases love to taunt. In fact, the MLB just released a statement regarding an impressive outturn of TV ratings thus far in the 2021 campaign. According to the release, MLB.TV registered the most-watched 18-day period in its 20-season history, including the seven most-watched days ever.

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Sheffield may no longer be a fan of the game, but that hasn’t stopped millions of viewers from tuning in during the 2021 MLB season. Although, the former Miami Marlin is sort of justified with his disapproval. Despite hitting more than 500 home runs throughout his 22-year career with eight teams, Sheffield never struck out more than 100 times in a single season once in his career. It’s not uncommon for today’s hitters to approach or eclipse that painful 200 strikeout mark.

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