LAS VEGAS — The kid who looked like a child prodigy, is now a man who might have been a prodigy. An unheralded name on the 24-man roster, Gary Sheffield is no longer a surprise. Since the summer, Sheffield’s shown flashes of brilliance that make the surprise seem silly. He’s not the second coming of Roberto Alomar, but he may soon be the heir to some of his power.
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“I really, really feel I belong here,” Sheffield said. “I’m comfortable, I feel at home, and it’s a great bunch of guys. That was one of the reasons why I chose to come here.”
The only surprise is that it took so long.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been grooming Sheffield since the 2005 Draft, and they’ve never had anything as clear as a relationship with a young hitter. Sheffield is 21, and he’s been in the minors so long, the Rays don’t even consider him a rookie. In fact, they tried to trade Sheffield this year, hoping to find a more mature young player who might help the Rays now and later.
Sheffield was born a Tiger, but now, he’s a Tiger in name only. While the Tigers have spent the better part of the past few decades trying to assemble a major league team, the Rays have turned to rebuilding. And despite their lack of success, they’ve made a lot of good decisions in recent years.
When Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria came up in 2007, they were young, cheap and very, very good. And while you might argue that signing Curtis Granderson wasn’t the best move for the Rays, it was probably the smartest move.
Even if you don’t count him as one of their biggest signings, Andrew Friedman has made some very good decisions since becoming the Rays’ GM. They’ve traded for Edwin Jackson, traded for Wil Myers, traded for Ryan Vogelsong, signed Yunel Escobar and traded for James Shields, and by all accounts, they’re happy with how that’s turned out.
(Friedman is quick to note that he hasn’t made any trades yet this year, though. And despite the fact that he’s only been a GM for four years, he ac619d1d87
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