Jeff Bagwell

Is He A Hall Of Famer

... for the same reason they did Mike Piazza: They thought he might have used performance-enhancing drugs. But those tides seem to be changing — both for Bagwell and for the ballot overall — and 2017, his seventh year on the ballot, seems like the time Bagwell pushes past the innuendo and becomes immortal. Last year, 15 votes stood in the way of Bagwell joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Piazza on enshrinement day. Bagwell earned 315 votes out of 440 ballots , good for 71.6 of the necessary 75 percent. That was a big jump for Bagwell, who had earned 55.7 percent the previous year and had mostly been in that range the four ballots prior. This year, according to Ryan Thibodaux’s indispensable ballot tracker at the time of this writing, Bagwell has already gained 14 votes that he didn’t have last year. WHAT THE SUPPORTERS SAY. Mind if I hit you with some bullet points. • Let’s start here: the career Wins Above Replacement for the average Hall of Fame first baseman is 65.9. Bagwell’s career WAR is 79.6. • Let’s take it further: Five first baseman in baseball ...

With Hall Of Fame Election, Deep Wounds Closing For Jeff Bagwell

... as a shell-shocked New England transplant, struck up a bond with his fellow "Killer B," Craig Biggio, and earned the admiration of Astros fans who treasured every interaction and two-out RBI single to right. Then came the unsettling postscript: From his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2010, Bagwell was waist deep in PED allegations. He has consistently denied any use of PEDs, but he spent years under the same cloud of suspicion that followed Mike Piazza before his induction last summer. But that torturous stint in limbo finally ended when the voters gave him his golden ticket to Cooperstown on Wednesday. Jeff Bagwell's batting stance is one that wasn't repeated by many. Getty Images. A style all his own. In an alternate universe, Bagwell could just as easily have been wearing a Boston Red Sox cap on his plaque. In the summer of 1990, Bagwell hit.333 with a.422 OBP for Boston's Double-A affiliate in New Britain, Connecticut. He was born in Boston and raised in Middletown, ...

It's Time For Baseball Writers To Make Jeff Bagwell A Hall Of Famer

... in career stolen bases with 808. He played 23 years, and missed a season toward the end of his career with a severe health issue, which undoubtedly affected his numbers. He collected 2,605 career hits, scored 1,571 runs, and hit 170 homers while usually batting leadoff and spending a large part of his career in Montreal. He also collected 980 RBI and 1,330 walks while slashing.294/.385/.425. And did I mention his amazing ability to run the bases. Jonah Keri makes the ultimate case for Raines’s induction , but this is perhaps the most amazing thing about Raines: He came up to the majors while the sport was suffering though a bit of a cocaine problem. Since he didn’t want to risk his cocaine being seized from his locker, he learned to slide head first into second so that he wouldn’t break the vial that he had in his back pocket. For my final ...

Projecting The 2017 Hall Of Fame Vote

... been several elections featuring seven candidates with at least 50%, only in 1951 were there eight. What's even more interesting is that none of the four other candidates projected to cross 50% has done so before. Historically speaking, every candidate who has reached that level has been elected eventually, either by the writers or a small committee, save for Gil Hodges, Jack Morris and current candidates Smith, Bagwell, Raines, Hoffman and Schilling—a group whose numbers appear poised to dwindle. Bonds and Clemens, each in their fifth year of eligibility, topped out at 45.2% and 44.3% last year, respectively, but they're surging thanks in large part to Bud Selig's recent election and/or a general softening of attitudes when it comes to PED-related candidates, as discussed previously. Martinez and Mussina, the pair that gained the most ground last year, continue to make ...

Jeff Bagwell Topps Baseball Cards

... Hall of Fame ballot in 2011 after playing 15 seasons in the MLB. The slugging first baseman played his entire career for the Houston Astros between 1991 and 2005. He received 71.6 percent of votes in 2016, positioning him well to surpass the threshold of 75 percent to make the Hall of Fame in 2017. Take a look at his Topps baseball cards from each season to go along with his yearly statistics. Jeff Bagwell 1991 Topps rookie card. (Credit: The Topps Company). Jeff Bagwell made his MLB debut in 1991 and would go on to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He batted.294 with 15 home runs, 82 RBIs and a.387 OBP. Jeff Bagwell 1992 Topps card. (Credit: The Topps Company). In 1992, Bagwell was a regular for the Astros, playing in all 162 games. He batted.273 with a.368 OBP, 18 home runs and 96 RBIs. Jeff Bagwell 1993 Topps card. Bagwell batted.320 with a.388 OBP, 20 home runs and 88 RBIs in his third season in the bigs. Jeff Bagwell 1994 Topps card. (Credit: The Topps Company). In 1994, Bagwell won the NL Most Valuable Player Award after batting.368 with a.451 OBP, 39 home runs and driving in 116 runs. He also made the NL All-Star team, won Gold ...

Jose Canseco Rips Hall Of Fame Voters In Twitter Rant

... the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame voters have no idea what they're talking about they need me on the panel to explain the ped era. What are they afraid of. — Jose Canseco (@Jose Canseco) January 18, 2017. If moike Piazza who used steroids is in the Hall of Fame Pudge Rodriguez definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame much better catcher. — Jose Canseco (@Jose Canseco) January 18, 2017. I could easily clean up the Hall of Fame voting system if they would just contact me what are they afraid of the truth. — Jose Canseco (@Jose Canseco) January 18, 2017. Why don't these Hall of Fame voters get a panel of players that played in the PE Tiara and have them fix the problem. — Jose Canseco (@Jose Canseco) January 18, 2017. These so-called Hall of Fame voters need me to educate them on the the ped era and how to figure out the voting by inside information. — Jose Canseco (@Jose Canseco) January 18, 2017. People who cannot handle the truth or do not want to hear the truth are extremely corrupt. — Jose Canseco (@Jose Canseco) ...

Jeff Bagwell 'anxious' For Upcoming Hall Of Fame Announcement

... (roughly 38 percent of the Baseball Writers' Association of America electorate) made public or compiled by unofficial Hall of Fame ballot tracker Ryan Thibodaux. "I just want to get it over with," Bagwell said of the Jan. 18 announcement. "This is the first year I've kind of been keeping track of it and just kind of looking. I'm excited about it.". Speaking Wednesday night before an appearance on the Astros' offseason radio show, Astroline, at Pluckers Wing Bar (1400 Shepherd Dr.), Bagwell said he has paid attention to the ballots that have been made public "a little bit lately" but more so learns about them second hand. This is Bagwell's seventh year of Hall of Fame eligibility, the former slugger's candidacy having previously suffered in part because of performance-enhancing drug suspicion by writers. Last year, Bagwell finished ...

Longtime Astros Slugger Bagwell Elected To Hall Of Fame

... All-Star, Bagwell spent his entire career with Houston. The first baseman holds Astros records of 449 home runs and 1,529 RBIs. In 15 seasons, he had a.408 on-base average, a.540 slugging percentage and batted.297. Bagwell joins longtime teammate Craig Biggio, who was elected in 2015, as the only players to go into the Hall as Astros. "Craig and I made a conscious effort to play with the Astros our entire career, and I'm very, very proud of that and I know Craig is, too," Bagwell said. "No matter what ever happens, Craig and I are able to say two things now: we played our entire careers with the Astros and now both of us are in the Hall of Fame, too.". Biggio raved about his friend and teammate. "He put up incredible numbers offensively, but he was also a smart player, a really good defensive player, ...

Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez, And Jeff Bagwell Elected To Hall Of Fame. Smith Had Highest Vote Total Of Any Ex-cubs Player

... and Roger Clemens in, even if both used PEDs.  They were so dominant that it's hard to believe that they wouldn't have made it otherwise.  The fact that baseball turned a blind eye toward it because those players helped make the game popular again.  Maybe it isn't right that players used PEDs, but it also isn't fair that baseball used them and then washed their hands of it all. Anyway, let's celebrate the players who did make it.  They are. Tim Raines. Ivan Rodriguez. Jeff Bagwell. All were deserving. Raines was one of the dominant players of the 1980 s, once outting up 6 consecutive 6 WAR or greater seasons. He could beat you in so many ways but his ability to get on base and run wild was what made him dangerous.  He would steal 808 bases and put up an OBP of.385 for his career. Ivan Rodriguez redefined the catcher position as a player who completely shut down a running game and yet made significant contributions on offense as well.  He threw out 46% of runners for his career and had a 6 season stretch in which he lead the league each ...