November 01, 2006
Bye-Bye Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell's playing days with the Houston Astros are officially over, as Houston bought out the rest of his contract. However, expect him to be back with the team in some other capacity:
One door has closed, but several other opportunities are in play once Bagwell is ready.
Don't expect to see Bagwell in the broadcast booth, though.
"I wouldn't close the door on something like that, but at this particular time that wouldn't be my forte," he said of broadcasting. "I mumble."
Maybe so, but he realizes his accomplishments and leadership qualities give him the attention of every teammate.
"I do have something to offer as far as my passion for the game and my experience," he said. "I think there's something to be offered. That's something for another time to talk about."
My guess is that Bagwell at some point will become the hitting instructor or bench coach for the Astros, and eventually replace Garner as manager.
The thing that impresses me the most about Jeff's career was his hitting at the Astrodome. This was a notoriously tough park for power hitters, yet over his career Bagwell posted a batting average over .300, an OBA well over .400 and a slugging percentage in the mid .500s. Impressive numbers for anyone, but even more impressive in that park.
he's definitely a hall of famer. the only question is whether he gets in on the first ballot. he was the best hitter in the league for several years, and but for his extended stretch at the astrodome, easily would have 500 hrs (an arbitrary milestone which seems to matter a whole lot to the BBWAA). according to clay davenport's park-adjusted stats, bagwell would have finished with 511 hrs, 475 2b, and a .301/.413/.568 line (see translated batting statistics: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/dt/bagweje01.shtml). his real stats are impressive enough, though. and he's the only first baseman in mlb history to rack up 400 hrs and 200 sb.
His batting stance was crazy - would he really make a good hitting coach? While it obviously worked for him, you probably wouldn't want anyone else hitting like him...
Certainly he's a HOF'er. One of the 5 best 1B in history. First ballot, and he's managed to avoid steroid accusations, unlike his peer McGwire.
Glancing at his baseballreference page, it's surprising that he was on only 4 All-Star teams, and won just 3 Silver Sluggers.
And Boston got rid of him...can't even imagine the numbers he would have put up if he'd played half his games at friendly Fenway. That one still burns...
One of the 5 best 1B in history.
Gehrig, Foxx, Murray, McCovey...hmm. Yeah, maybe so. Greenberg?
We'll see where Poo Holes ends up, of course.
