Ben Sheets

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #1 prospect in 2001
  Sheets was projected to go well before Milwaukee grabbed him with the 10th overall pick in the 1999 draft, but he fell into the Brewers' lap. As soon as they selected him, the plan was to fast-track him to the big leagues. And by all appearances, that's exactly what will happen. Sheets removed any doubts about his readiness to embark on a major league career with his remarkable performance for the United States in the Sydney Olympics. Immediately tabbed as the team ace, Sheets lived up to that billing and then some with a stunning shutout of favored Cuba in the gold-medal game. Team USA manager Tommy Lasorda became so enamored of Sheets that he even traveled to Louisiana after the Olympics to attend his wedding. The Brewers' decision to allow Sheets to play in the Olympics rather than come to the major leagues in September for a few meaningless starts was an astute one. The poised righthander showed he could handle the top two rungs of the minor league ladder, compiling a 2.40 ERA in 27 starts. "He has a burning desire to be a major league player," Brewers farm director Greg Riddoch said. "He rose to the occasion in the biggest game of his life. That tells you all you need to know." Sheets has an above-average fastball that he throws regularly in the 92-95 mph range, but his bread-and-butter pitch is an old-fashioned, 12-to-6 curveball that buckles the knees of hitters. Because he has a good, sinking fastball and a decent changeup, you can't sit on his curve, which is difficult to hit under any circumstances. Beyond his repertoire, Sheets is an intense competitor who doesn't lose his cool on the mound. Everyone involved with Team USA raved about the way he handled himself on the mound, especially against the intimidating Cuban hitters. "He's a throwback player," Brewers minor league pitching coach Mike Caldwell said. "He does all the things right. And he's as competitive as it gets." Lack of professional experience is about all that can be counted against Sheets at this point. He answered that shortcoming and most other questions with his eye-popping showing in the pressurized atmosphere of the Olympics. He still needs to work on his changeup to avoid becoming a two-pitch pitcher. And he could stand to add a bit of muscle to his frame. When his curveball takes the day off, he has to keep his fastball down to avoid an early exit. Never say never in baseball, but nothing short of an injury will keep Sheets from opening the 2001 season in the Brewers rotation. Management will put him toward the back of the starting five at the outset to avoid putting any undue pressure on him, but Sheets will have the best stuff of anyone in the rotation from the first day of camp. He's a legitimate top-of-the-rotation pitcher who could go a long way toward returning the Brewers to respectability. "He's the whole package," Caldwell said. "He knows how to pitch."

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #6 prospect in 2000
  Only the Olympics prevented Sheets from playing in the major leagues this September, a little more than a year after he was drafted. The 10th overall pick in the 1999 draft out of Northeast Louisiana, Sheets reached Triple-A midway through this season. Sheets has three major league quality pitches (a low-90s fastball, a curveball and a changeup), and he throws them for strikes. But IL managers said Sheets' most impressive trait, like Garland's, is his composure. "We saw him in one of his first Triple-A starts, and he had wonderful poise on the mound," Toledo manager Glenn Ezell said. "He's able to throw his breaking ball over for strikes and has plenty of fastball to go along with that." Said Steve Smith, Sheets' manager at Indianapolis: "For a guy in his first full year, he's handled it well. He was unlucky in a few games where we weren't very good defensively, but he kept it together out there."
• 
  Ranked Southern League #2 prospect in 2000
  The Brewers expected Sheets to be long gone by the time they made the 10th overall selection in the 1999 draft. When he wasn't, they snapped him up. He finished 2000 in Triple-A and would have been in Milwaukee if not for his detour to Sydney for the Olympics. "Ability-wise, no one could touch him," Jacksonville manager Gene Roof said. "In addition to having a 97 mph fastball, he throws a 93 mph power sinker. He simply overmatched hitters while he was here." Sheets also throws a hard curveball and a decent changeup. His command and composure are impeccable.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #5 prospect in 2001
• Ranked Baseball America's #65 prospect in 2000

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  The Brewers expected Sheets to be long gone by the time they made the 10th overall selection in the 1999 draft. When he wasn't, they snapped him up. He finished 2000 in Triple-A and would have been in Milwaukee if not for his detour to Sydney for the Olympics. "Ability-wise, no one could touch him," Jacksonville manager Gene Roof said. "In addition to having a 97 mph fastball, he throws a 93 mph power sinker. He simply overmatched hitters while he was here." Sheets also throws a hard curveball and a decent changeup. His command and composure are impeccable.
• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  Only the Olympics prevented Sheets from playing in the major leagues this September, a little more than a year after he was drafted. The 10th overall pick in the 1999 draft out of Northeast Louisiana, Sheets reached Triple-A midway through this season. Sheets has three major league quality pitches (a low-90s fastball, a curveball and a changeup), and he throws them for strikes. But IL managers said Sheets' most impressive trait, like Garland's, is his composure. "We saw him in one of his first Triple-A starts, and he had wonderful poise on the mound," Toledo manager Glenn Ezell said. "He's able to throw his breaking ball over for strikes and has plenty of fastball to go along with that." Said Steve Smith, Sheets' manager at Indianapolis: "For a guy in his first full year, he's handled it well. He was unlucky in a few games where we weren't very good defensively, but he kept it together out there."