Gary Sheffield
Most Comparable players through Age 35, using Sim Score and PECOTA (Retired Players Only)
Frank Robinson (HoF) 154 OPS+
Dwight Evans 127 OPS+
Stan Musial (HoF) 159 OPS+
Hank Aaron (HoF) 155 OPS+
Reggie Jackson (HoF) 139 OPS+
Billy Williams (HoF) 132 OPS+
Duke Snyder (HoF) 140 OPS+
Dale Murphy 121 OPS+
Jim Rice 128 OPS+
Dave Winfield (HoF) 129 OPS+
Orlando Cepeda (HoF) 133 OPS+
I don't think Sheffield will make it in with the writer's vote, for much the same reason that Jim Rice hasn't: the writers don't like him. The steroid controversy and the high-octane offense of the 1990s will also work against him, but I do think that people tend to underestimate exactly how devastating a hitter that Sheffield has been. His career OPS+ is 147, and that stat adjusts for context. I have listed the career OPS of the players above so you can see that Sheffield does rank among the great hitters of all time.
If Sheffield can improve his reputation in the last years of his career (and he has taken steps in this direction), perhaps he'll get in with the Veterans vote in the 2020s.
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