| Justus Sheffield | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Sheffield with theSeattle Mariners in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Sultanes de Monterrey – No. 61 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1996-05-13)May 13, 1996 (age 29) Tullahoma, Tennessee, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| September 19, 2018, for the New York Yankees | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 12–12 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 5.47 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 155 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Justus Kane Sheffield (born May 13, 1996) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theSultanes de Monterrey of theMexican League. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theNew York Yankees andSeattle Mariners.
He was drafted by theCleveland Indians in the first round of the2014 MLB draft. During the 2016 trade deadline, he was traded to the Yankees, where he made his MLB debut on September 19, 2018. Following the 2018 season, Sheffield was traded to theSeattle Mariners.
Sheffield attendedTullahoma High School inTullahoma, Tennessee. He threw twono-hitters in high school, including a 17–strikeout game as a senior.[1] He finished his senior season with an 11-0record, a 0.34earned run average (ERA), and 131 strikeouts in61+2⁄3 innings pitched. He also batted .405/.478/.620 with threehome runs. He was named theGatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.[2][3][4] In June 2013, he was named to theUSA Baseball 18 and under national team roster.[5] The team won the2013 18U Baseball World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.[6] Sheffield committed to playcollege baseball atVanderbilt University.[7]
TheCleveland Indians selected Sheffield in the first round (31st overall) of the2014 MLB draft, and he signed with Cleveland, bypassing Vanderbilt.[8] In 2015, he pitched for theLake County Captains of theSingle-AMidwest League. He threw127+2⁄3 innings, and had a 9-4 record and a 3.31 ERA and was aMidwest League Mid-Season All-Star.[9][10] Sheffield began the 2016 season with theLynchburg Hillcats of theHigh-ACarolina League.[11] He was aCarolina League Mid-Season All-Star after pitching to a 3.59 ERA in 19 games over 95.1 innings.[9]
On July 31, 2016, the Indians traded Sheffield along withClint Frazier,Ben Heller, andJ. P. Feyereisen to theNew York Yankees forAndrew Miller.[12] He finished the 2016 season with theTampa Yankees of the High-AFlorida State League, where he posted a 10-6 record with a 3.09 ERA. Before the 2017 season,Baseball America ranked Sheffield as the 7th best prospect in the Yankees organization.[13]Baseball Prospectus ranked him 5th.[14] He spent 2017 with theTrenton Thunder of theDouble-AEastern League, going 7-6 with a 3.18 ERA in93+1⁄3 innings pitched.[9] Sheffield was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the weeks of May 28 and June 18 and was named a Mid-Season All-Star.[9] He later played in theArizona Fall League and was a 2017 Rising Star.[15]
After starting 2018 in Double-A, Sheffield was promoted to theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of theTriple-AInternational League on May 3, 2018.[16] He was the 12th, 28th, and 40th best prospect in baseball, according toESPN's, MLB's, and Baseball Prospectus' respective mid-season prospect lists.[17][18][19] Sheffield was also named to the 2018All-Star Futures Game.[20] In August, the Yankees converted him into arelief pitcher in preparation for aSeptember call-up to the major leagues.[21]
He made his MLB debut on September 19 against theBoston Red Sox and gave up a single to his first batter,Brock Holt.[22]
On November 19, 2018, the Yankees traded Sheffield,Dom Thompson-Williams, andErik Swanson to theSeattle Mariners forJames Paxton.[23] He was the team's top prospect in 2019, according toMLB.com.[24] Sheffield was called up on April 26, 2019[25] and allowed two runs and four walks over three innings of relief.[26] He pitched to a 6.87 ERA in 13 appearances for the Triple-ATacoma Rainiers before the Mariners demoted him to the Double-AArkansas Travelers. This was enough for Baseball America to drop him from 27th to 83rd on its top 100 prospect list.[27] Sheffield rebounded with a 2.18 ERA in 78 innings[28] and returned to the Mariners on August 23.[29] He finished the season with a 5.50 ERA over 36 innings for the Mariners.
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In 2020, Sheffield was included on the Mariners' 60-man player pool during theCOVID-19 shortened season.[30] He was part of the team's six-manstarting rotation to begin the season, pitching to a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts.[31] In 2021, Sheffield had a 6.48 ERA in 15 starts before hitting theinjured list with a forearm strain in July.[32] He was reinstated on September 1[33] and pitched of the bullpen.[34] He allowed eight earned runs in 6.2 innings and was demoted before the end of 2021.[35]
In 2022, Sheffield made the team out of spring training as a reliever. He made four appearances in April before being sent down to Tacoma. He was twice recalled from Tacoma during the season. His final appearance for the Mariners was a start on October 4, earning a win and allowing four runs in five innings pitched. For the year, he appeared in 6 games, with one start, pitching 11.2 innings in total. He finished with a record of 1-0 and a 3.86 ERA.[36]
Sheffield wasdesignated for assignment on January 19, 2023, to make room forTommy La Stella on the roster.[37] On January 26, Sheffield clearedwaivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma.[38] In 10 games with Tacoma to begin the year, Sheffield pitched poorly, with a 14.04 ERA and 4 strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched. He was released by the Mariners organization on April 27.[39]
On May 12, 2023, Sheffield signed a minor league contract with theAtlanta Braves organization.[40] He spent the remainder of the season with the Triple-AGwinnett Stripers, also appearing in one game for the Double-AMississippi Braves. In 13 games (11 starts) for Gwinnett, Sheffield logged a 2–5 record and 6.63 ERA with 56 strikeouts across54+1⁄3 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.[41]
On June 7, 2024, Sheffield signed a minor league contract with theCincinnati Reds.[42] In 19 appearances split between the rookie-levelArizona Complex League Reds and Triple-ALouisville Bats, he struggled to a combined 1-7 record and 6.75 ERA with 46 strikeouts across46+2⁄3 innings pitched.[43] Sheffield elected free agency following the season on November 4.[44]
On April 18, 2025, Sheffield signed with theGastonia Ghost Peppers of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball.[45] In 15 appearances (six starts) for Gastonia, Sheffield logged a 5-2 record and 5.27 ERA with 33 strikeouts across42+2⁄3 innings pitched.
On July 2, 2025, Sheffield's contract was purchased by theSultanes de Monterrey of theMexican League.[46]
His brother,Jordan Sheffield, pitched for theColorado Rockies.[47][48][49]
Sheffield was arrested on January 12, 2015 and charged with underage drinking andaggravated burglary.[50] He pleaded guilty atCoffee County Court House inTullahoma, Tennessee to charges of underage drinking andcriminal trespass with a deferred judgment, so that the charges could be expunged from his record in a year.[51]
