Padres’ Gavin Sheets Starts Hot and Stays Grounded in Faith

Published: May 22, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

San Diego Padres first baseman Gavin Sheets is already making his mark in the MLB this season.

In just the first week of the regular season, Sheets earned the National League Player of the Week. That honor came after he had a “.625 batting average with four home runs and eight RBIs last week,” according to Sports Spectrum.

“It’s a cool honor. You think of all the players in the National League, and to win that for a week is pretty exciting,” Sheets said in an interview with the MLB Network. “But, more importantly, we played really good baseball and had two really good series on the road.”

Sheets is more than just a baseball player; he is a child of God.

“Jesus Christ is my Savior,” Sheets said on Sports Spectrum’s podcast last year. “He’s my friend, He’s my father, He’s everything that you want a man to be in your life. And, you know, He’s my everything. When I’m in need, when I’m giving grace, when I’m giving thanks, He’s there. When I’m at my highs and my lows. And you know, without Him, we don’t go through anything alone. And so, He’s everything to me.”

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While he was with the Chicago White Sox, the athlete and his wife, Kahla, got the opportunity to lead the White Sox Day of Faith.

“I think a lot of times in sports, you don’t know why you’re in the place that you’re in,” Sheets said. “Obviously, it was an extremely tough year in Chicago this year with the White Sox. You see some of the members of your team get traded and go to teams that are having winning seasons. I’ve kind of seen the good and the bad in Chicago in terms of being on a playoff team and then being on a team like last year.”

He had to learn that faith was more important than baseball ever could be.

“Being a man of faith in the clubhouse, leading guys in Bible study, leading guys in chapel, speaking on what was actually important in my life,” Sheets said. “Obviously baseball is a huge part of my life and it is very important to me, but it’s not everything. And being able to separate the results and the statistics with leading a Bible study, getting guys to [the White Sox’s Faith and Family Day], getting guys to chapel, walking guys in their faith.”

“As difficult as it was at times to separate those two things, I think that when you take a step back from the season and you look back at things like Faith and Family and seeing guys that grew to Christ, you realize that the season wasn’t a failure in the grand scheme of life,” he continued.

As Sheets begins his season, he understands that no matter what happens, he needs to keep Christ at the center of his life.

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