Tom Brennan - HEY, THAT'S MY NEPHEW!

Tom Brennan - HEY, THAT'S MY NEPHEW!

Think back to late 1984 when Dwight "Doc" Gooden at age 19 fanned 16 batters in two straight late-season games.

You had to be thinking (I was): FUTURE HALL OF FAMER.

Then, at age 20, Gooden goes Cy Young on us: 

24-4. 1.53, close to 300 Ks.

Like me, you were probably thinking:

FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAMER.

Doc was the guy who inspired Sandy Koufax to say this:

I WOULD TRADE MY PAST FOR HIS FUTURE.

Sadly, Dwight Gooden will most likely never make the Hall of Fame, having come up short in terms of performance and durability past the age of 20.  He ended up 194-112. 3.51, fine enough for a mere mortal, but was only a .500 pitcher from 1992 through the end of his career in 2000, with only 62 wins in those 9 years.  

Oddly, had his career been cut short with injury after 1991, perhaps he would have gotten a waiver for insufficient years played and made the Hall of Fame then.

Imagine in 1985, as you were most likely thinking Dwight would be a FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAMER, that it would turn out that Doc ultimately wouldn't make the Hall of Fame at all...but his nephew (just a 16 year old kid at the time) might well become the family's Hall of Famer.

NEPHEW Gary Sheffield broke into the majors in 1988 at age 19. Greatness showed up for him at age 23, in which he hit a high-powered .330, with just 40 strikeouts in 618 plate appearances! Some sluggers fan that much in a bad month!

The 9 time All Star would go on to hit .292 in his career with 509 homers and over 1600 runs scored and RBIs.

Sadly, BIG MOUTHS Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile of the Mets in 2001 spoke out that the Mets should avoid Gary Sheffield....the Mets passed on Sheff, and he tortured them with superior years in Atlanta and with the Yankees, very possibly costing them a World Series title or two, due to his non-Mets status with key adversaries at that time.

Thanks, Todd and Robin.  Suggestion: Next time, shut up.

Of course, the Mets did what they do best, waiting for Gary to turn 40 before making him a Met in his final season...

312 plate appearances, .276/.372/.451.  

Nice....oh, and at least he hit home run # 500 as a Met.

Too bad 497 of them were with other teams.

Dwight's NEPHEW Gary isn't in the Hall....yet...

But it seems only a matter of time before he becomes the only family member who makes it there.  Tell me that back in 1985 and I'd have called Bellevue butterfly net crew for you.

Any great nephews out there that we can sign?