Ben M. Sheets (born July 18, 1978 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. He posesses one of the best fastballs in the Major Leagues, a four-seam fastball clocked between 94-98 MPH, a big, slow breaking curveball in the 78-81 MPH range, and a changeup. He also has great command of his three pitches.

Sheets graduated from St. Amant High School and went to college at Northeast Louisiana University on a baseball scholarship. He once struck out 20 batters in a game against Louisiana Tech, a feat he would almost equal later in his MLB career.

Drafted by the Brewers in the first round (10th overall) of the 1999 draft, he made his professional debut with the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League. On August 2 against the Idaho Falls Chukars, Sheets struck out eight batters while allowing just one hit through five innings. He didn't stay very long in Rookie ball, being promoted to Class A Stockton of the California League on August 9. In his seven pro starts that year, Sheets averaged a strikeout ratio of 10.09 batters per nine innings.

By 2001, Sheets had been promoted to the Brewers' starting rotation and went 11-10 that season with a 4.76 ERA. By 2004, Sheets began establishing himself as a strikeout threat, throwing 264 to finish third in the category in the majors behind Randy Johnson and Johan Santana. He also threw 18 strikeouts in a May 16 game against the Atlanta Braves.

See also

• List of pitchers who have struck out 18 or more batters in a nine-inning baseball game

External links

• Ben Sheets (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6618) at ESPN.com
• Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sheetbe01.shtml) - career statistics and analysis