Don't laugh! Sheffield's predictions were accurate

Usual craziness aside, he would have been a better fit in right than Abreu

Jim Baumbach

11:43 AM EDT, June 27, 2007

We really don't want to defend Gary Sheffield and his propensity to open his mouth and say something controversial, then change his mind 20 minutes later. We witnessed his act up close the last three years, and it was as disturbing as it was entertaining.

But as we watch this mess of a Yankees season, it's hard not to think about Sheffield, the numbers he is putting up in Detroit and some of his parting words. Two of his quotes, more than any, stand out.

On losing his job to Bobby Abreu: "He's a good player, but like I say, you can draw it up any kind of way. He ain't me. And that's the bottom line."

On Alex Rodriguez admitting in spring training he isn't as close with Derek Jeter anymore: "I guarantee you one thing, and I say this right now: Alex is going to have the best year since he's been here. I think what he did, stood up, that's what's going to get him over the top. He expressed how he felt. He was honest. And that goes a long way. I guarantee you when he went home it was a peaceful night."

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Sheffield spews so often, it's easy to lose track of his stances on issues. But when you read both of those quotes today, several months after the words left his mouth, it's amazing how right Sheffield really was.

Let's start with A-Rod, because this is the easy one. Can we really attribute his success this season to his long-overdue admission that he and Jeter no longer have sleepovers? Maybe, maybe not. But I was there when Sheffield predicted A-Rod would have a stellar season, and he certainly had that look of conviction in his eyes. Sheffield really believed what he said.

Today, A-Rod is hitting .332 (eighth in AL) and he has an on-base percentage of .431 (fourth). He leads the league with 28 home runs and 77 RBIs, putting him on pace for 61 and 169. So it's safe to say he's not the reason the Yankees are two games under .500.

Now to his "He ain't me" quote about Abreu. At the time Sheffield said this, less than a month into the offseason, this was very debatable. Abreu was fresh off a strong two-month run with the Yankees and Sheffield was doing what he has always done best, and that's running his mouth to help his cause (in this case, it was a trade to Detroit and a new contract). So surely Yankee officials rolled their eyes at his words.

But now look at their stats. Sheffield struggled so mightily at the beginning of the season that manager Jim Leyland sat him to get his head straight, though you'd never know that now by looking at his stats. Hitting in the middle of the Tiger lineup, he's batting .289 with a .398 on-base percentage. He has 17 home runs, 50 RBIs and his .922 OPS is tenth in the league.

Like Sheffield, Abreu struggled at start the season and broke out of it in big fashion only to fall right back into it. Joe Torre even placed him eighth in the batting order last night. That's what happens when you're hitting .257 and you're .713 OPS trails such offensive stalwarts as Seattle's Jose Lopez, Tampa Bay's Ty Wigginton and Cleveland's Ryan Garko.

We can all agree now that, yes, Abreu ain't Sheffield.

Seven months ago that wasn't much of a concern for the Yankees. You bet everyone in their front office was happy he was gone, and with good reason. He is a headache for the teams he plays for, always has been and always will be. His relationship with the Yankees had soured to the point that there was no scenario where he could have stayed, short of giving him a fat extension. No way that was happening.

But while the Yankee offense isn't the primary reason why the team is in shambles, you still can't help but wonder, what if. Just for fun, where they would be they if Sheffield's righthanded bat -- which has always been lethal against lefthanded pitching -- had been in the lineup everyday instead of Abreu?