MLB.com beat writer Brian McTaggart blogs about all things Astros.

Will Hall call Bagwell?

Jeff Bagwell will find out today if he’s received enough votes to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The results of the voting by eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will be revealed during an MLB.com simulcast of the announcement on MLB Network live at 1 p.m. CT.

The vote was conducted by the BBWAA this past December. Because of the least-imposing first-year group of eligible players in recent memory, former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin seems to be the lone possibility for election.

Bagwell appeared on 41.7 percent of the ballots in his first year of eligibility last year and will need to get 75 percent to get elected. It’s unlikely he’ll make that kind of jump this year.

Bagwell probably would have been a slam dunk to make the Hall of Fame had he reached 500 home runs. He fell just 51 shy of that mark when a degenerative shoulder ended his career early, but his numbers across the board appear Hall of Fame worthy. Sure, there will be those who will hold it against him that he played in era when many sluggers were under the suspicion of performance-enhancing drugs, but Bagwell has been clean of any allegations. There’s no reason to believe he didn’t do everything the right way.

Those same voters who are inclined to take into account such intangibles should remember Bagwell played most of his career in the cavernous Astrodome, which surely took several home runs away from him. And if you look beyond the gaudy numbers, the voters should remember Bagwell was a terrific defensive player and base runner.

“I’m pulling for him,” long-time Astros teammate Craig Biggio said. “You know my feelings about him. To me, he’s a Hall of Famer. He had 40-something percent last year and you hope the number keeps climbing and gets to that 75 percent. He was a tremendous player and did a lot of great things on the baseball field. To me, there’s no doubt about it – he’s definitely a Hall of Fame baseball player.”

Of course, Biggio will be on the Hall of Fame ballot next year as part of a star-studded class that includes former Astros pitchers Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling, along with Mike Piazza, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Biggio said. “These last four years went by super-fast.”

Biggio, of course, seems to be a lock to reach Cooperstown, considering he reached 3,060 hits and has more doubles than any right-handed hitter in history. Bagwell didn’t play as long as Biggio, but his numbers are equally as impressive.

During Bagwell’s 15 seasons, the Astros had their most successful run in franchise history, qualifying for the postseason six times while finishing at .500 or above 13 times. The Astros had the third-best winning percentage (.531) in the NL from 1991-2005.

In 1994, Bagwell became just the third player in history to win the NL Most Valuable Player Award by a unanimous vote after hitting .368 with 39 home runs, 116 RBIs, a .750 slugging percentage, .451 on-base percentage and a career-high 1.201 OPS.

Bagwell was a four-time All-Star, earned three Silver Slugger Awards, a Rawlings Gold Glove Award and remains as the only first baseman in NL history to reach the 30-30 club in home runs and stolen bases in a season, which he did twice in his career.

Here are some of Bagwell’s accomplishments (entering 2011 season):

HOW BAGWELL MEASURES UP ALL-TIME

.948 career OPS ranks 22nd in Major League history and 10th among right-handed hitters. Four of the nine right-handed hitters ranked ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame, while four others are not yet eligible for induction.

.408 career on-base percentage ranks 15th all-time among right-handed hitters and ninth all-time among first basemen (3rd among RH first basemen).

is one of just 12 players in baseball history to hit at least 400 home runs while compiling a .408-or-higher onbase percentage.

is the only first baseman in NL history to reach the 30-30 club in home runs and stolen bases, and the only first baseman in ML history to reach this milestone twice in a career.

is the just the eighth player in ML history to win both the Rookie of the Year (1991) and Most Valuable Player (1994) awards.

is the only first baseman in ML history and one of 12 players all-time to reach 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases.

is one of five players in history to collect 30 home runs, 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored in six consecutive seasons (1996-2001). Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Albert Pujols are the others.

is the only player in history to record 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, 100 runs scored and 100 walks in six consecutive seasons (1996-2001).

.297 career average ranks 18th all-time among players with 400 home runs, and 10th all-time among righthanded hitters with 400 home runs.

AMONG HIS PEERS (1991-2005)

1,529 RBIs ranked second in the Majors and first among right-handed hitters.

1,517 runs scored ranked third in the Majors.

ranked third in the Majors in hits (2,314), walks (1,401) and extra-base hits (969).

ranked fifth in the Majors in home runs (449) and games played (2,150).

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2 Comments

Bagwell deserves to be in the Hall, it’s a shame so many voters are holding out because of their “doubts”. The numbers alone speak volumes.

As much as I think Bagwell needs his own day, I also think it would be pretty cool to see Bagwell & Biggio inducted together because they have been Astros together for so long. It would also save me some money as I hope to travel to Cooperstown when they are both inducted.

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