Justus Sheffield

BIOGRAPHY

Justus Kane Sheffield was born on May 13, 1996, in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

Sheffield attended Tullahoma High School in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He threw two no-hitters while in high school, including a 17–strikeout game as a senior. He finished his senior season 11–0 with a 0.34 earned run average (ERA) and 131 strikeouts in 61 2⁄3 innings pitched. He also batted .405/.478/.620 with three home runs. For his play he was named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. Sheffield committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University.

The Cleveland Indians selected Sheffield in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft, and he signed with Cleveland, bypassing Vanderbilt. In 2015, he pitched for the Lake County Captains of the Class A Midwest League. He threw 127 2⁄3 innings, and had a 9-4 record and a 3.31 ERA. Sheffield began the 2016 season with the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League.

On July 31, 2016, the Indians traded Sheffield along with Clint Frazier, Ben Heller and J. P. Feyereisen to the New York Yankees for Andrew Miller. He finished the 2016 season with the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanved Florida State League, where he posted a 10–6 record with a 3.09 ERA. He spent 2017 with the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League, going 7-6 with a 3.18 ERA in 93 1⁄3 innings pitched.

In 2018, Sheffield started the season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League. In August, the team converted him into a relief pitcher in preparation for a September call-up to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut on September 19 against the Boston Red Sox and gave up a single to his first batter, Brock Holt.

On November 19, 2018, the Yankees traded Sheffield, Dom Thompson-Williams, and Erik Swanson to the Seattle Mariners for James Paxton. Sheffield made his Mariner debut on April 26, 2019.

In 2021, Sheffield appeared in 21 games, 15 as a starter. He finished with a record of 7-8, along with a 6.58 ERA.

In 2022, Sheffield appears in 6 games, starting in one of those appearances and pitched 11.2 innings in total. He finished with a record of 1-0 and a 3.86 ERA. Sheffield was designated for assignment on January 19, 2023 to make room for Tommy La Stella on the roster. On January 26, Sheffield cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.