Gary Sheffield - Early Life

Early Life

Sheffield was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in Belmont Heights, near the Ponce de Leon projects. He and his family lived with his uncle, Dwight Gooden, who would go on to become the ace pitcher for the New York Mets. They played baseball frequently and Sheffield learned how to hit a fastball from Gooden, who is only four years older than he is. Sheffield has publicly said that his grandfather had a significant positive impact on his life, influencing him as a person and as an athlete.

Sheffield was a good hitter in the Little Leagues. However, Sheffield had problems with his temper and attitude, which would continue in the Major Leagues. Once, when he was late to practice, his coach benched him and Sheffield picked up a bat and chased the coach all over the field, resulting in him being kicked off the team for a year. When Sheffield was eleven, he was selected to the Belmont Heights Little League All-Stars, which included future Chicago Cubs #1 pick Ty Griffin, future Major Leaguer Derek Bell, and other future MLB players. The team made it to the Little League World Series finals, but lost to Taiwan 4-3.