In his fifth pro season, Jeff Shireman explained his attraction to the game to The Tampa Tribune.
"I just love to get out there on the field," Shireman, then a member of the AAA Louisville Redbirds, told The Tribune. "I'll do anything I can out there, come in to pinch hit, play defense as part of a double switch late in the game, anything. When I'm on the field, I'm happy."
Shireman stayed on the field as a player for two more seasons, marking seven in all. He never made a major league field.
Shireman did, however, stay on the field after his playing days concluded. He did so for several more seasons as a minor league manager and coach.
Shireman's career began in 1988, taken by the Cardinals in the 23rd round of the draft out of Georgia Southern University.
Shireman started with the Cardinals at rookie Johnson City. He hit .339 over 52 games. Late that June, Shireman picked up three hits in a game after a slow start, The Johnson City Press wrote.
"I feel good about my hitting now," Shireman told The Press then. "I hit .382 and .388 (at Georgia Southern) the last two years, so I knew I could hit. I got a slow start, but we're getting a lot of help. Tonight really helped my confidence."
Shireman moved to single-A Springfield for 1989. He hit .248 over 121 games. He saw high-A St. Petersburg for 1990, then AA Arkansas in 1991. He hit .242 in 117 games at Arkansas.
He made AAA Louisville for 1993. He got into 66 games and hit .199. He then played in two more seasons with Arkansas. He saw 69 games there in 1994 and hit .180 to end his playing career.
By 1997, Shireman was managing at short-season New Jersey. He then managed at single-A Peoria in 1998 and 2001, and New Jersey for 1990 and 2000. In July 2000 he tried to shepherd his team past a 10-1 loss.
"We just have to come right back at them," Shireman told The Morristown Daily Record. "You just have to put this one behind you and come out tomorrow ready to go."
- Johnson City Press, June 29, 1988: Cardinals roll over Bluefield
- Tampa Tribune, July 13, 1992: Love for the game runs rampant in Shireman
- Morristown Daily Record, July 7, 2000: Mets' late offensive spurt blows away Cardinals
Made the Majors:1,325-33.3%
Never Made Majors:2,656-66.7%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:542
10+ Seasons in the Minors:329
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