Little League: Belmont Heights, Florida, United States
Little League years: 1977-80
Pro sport: Baseball (right field, third base, shortstop)
Career: 22 seasons (1988-2009)
Teams: Milwaukee Brewers (1988-91), San Diego Padres (1992-93), Florida Marlins (1993-98), Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2001), Atlanta Braves (2002-03), New York Yankees (2004-06), Detroit Tigers (2007-08), New York Mets (2009)
Key stats/accolades: MLB All-Star (1992, 1993, 1996, 1998-2000, 2003-05), Silver Slugger Award (1992, 1996, 2003-05), NL batting champion (1992)
Pro championships: 1 (1997)
Bottom line: Before he crushed 500 home runs over two decades in Major League Baseball, Gary Sheffield made it to the Little League World Series championship game in 1980, losing to Chineses Taipei.
Six years later, Sheffield was the National Gatorade Player of the Year at Hillsborough High School in Florida and the No. 6 overall pick in the MLB draft.
Sheffield learned to hit as a child facing off against his cousin, Cy Young Award winner Dwight Gooden.