Pair of former Marlins lands on HOF ballot

MIAMI -- A couple of key contributors on World Series championship teams for the Marlins are now up for consideration for baseball's highest individual honor.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Monday released the ballot for the 2018 class, and former Marlins Gary Sheffield and Livan Hernandez are on the list. The election announcement will be on Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
Sheffield and Hernandez played significant roles in the first of the Marlins' two World Series titles. Hernandez was the World Series MVP in 1997, and Sheffield was his teammate.
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Candidates must appear on at least 75 percent of the ballots cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
This is Sheffield's fourth year of eligibility. A year ago, the power-hitting outfielder was on 13.3 percent of the ballots, which was 13th on the tallies for the Class of 2017. Hernandez is on the ballot for the first time.
The 2018 Class has a number of newcomers who are expected to receive serious consideration, including Chipper Jones and Jim Thome.
Two other players who spent at least some time with the Marlins also are newcomers to the ballot -- former pitcher Carlos Zambrano and first baseman Carlos Lee.
Sheffield enjoyed a brilliant career from 1988-2009. A native of Tampa, Fla., he broke in with the Brewers as a shortstop and early in his career also played some third base before becoming primarily an outfielder.

One of the most feared hitters of his generation, Sheffield finished with 509 home runs and 1,676 RBIs in 2,576 games. His slash line was .292/.393/.514 for a career OPS of .907. Sheffield was with the Marlins from 1993-98, and he enjoyed a record-setting season in 1996, setting a club high for home runs with 42.
That mark stood for almost 21 seasons, until it was finally passed by Giancarlo Stanton. Named the National League MVP Award winner on Thursday night, Stanton reset the Marlins' home run record with 59 this year. But before Stanton's breakthrough 2017, Sheffield was the only player in franchise history to reach the 40-homer plateau.
Hernandez left his biggest mark on the Marlins in 1997, going 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 96 1/3 innings. As a 22-year-old rookie, the right-hander stepped up in the postseason, and was named World Series MVP after the Marlins edged the Indians in seven games.
Hernandez's tenure with the Marlins lasted from 1996-99, and he retired after the 2012 season. Hernandez had a career record of 178-177 with a 4.44 ERA. He won at least 10 games 11 times.