Lost in yesterday's loss to the Royals was an outstanding day at the plate by Gary Sheffield. At first glance, in may not look very sexy. Sheffield failed to put a ball in play in five plate appearances. He finished 0-1 with a strikeout and four walks. Believe it or not, he had a great day at the plate.

Most fans admire Sheffield's ability to hit the ball a mile and his vicious swing. I do too. While it's fun to watch him turn on a good fastball, I also love to watch Gary turn an 0-2 count into an inning-extending walk. Assuming he stays healthy this year, Sheff will hit his 25-30 homers and knock in 90-95 runs. Yet, for me, it's the walk totals and runs scored that are just as important and under appreciated.

Here is Sheffield's day: First inning, he draws a two-out walk to extend an inning. In his third at bat in the fourth, he drew a base loaded walk to drive in a run and extend the inning for Magglio Ordonez to hit with the bases loaded. In the seventh inning, he walked to lead off the inning with his team down by one run. In the ninth, Sheff walked with two outs to extend another inning.

This is precisely why Jim Leyland chose to bat Sheffield third in his dream team line-up. His plate discipline and willingness to take his walks is what makes him a much better hitter than I ever imagined before he joined the team last season. It is also what makes this offense go. With Ordonez, Cabrera and Guillen following in the line-up, Sheffield is a lock to score 100 runs this year. Gary told me last year that his goal every game is to account for two runs, whether he knocks them in or scores them. Taking his walks helps him accomplish that goal.

Here is an assignment while you watch tigers baseball this season. Keep track of how many walks Sheffield ends up with after he falls behind in the count 0-2. I'll bet it's a lot.