Jeff Bagwell

From SoSH

Jeff Bagwell is perhaps best known in Red Sox circles as being part of one of the more lopsided trades in baseball history, after being dealt to the Astros for Larry Andersen in 1990. Though Andersen did help bolster the Red Sox bullpen on their way to the American League East title, Houston received a player who would be considered one of the best hitters of the following decade and a possible future Hall of Famer.

Contents 1 Sox Career 2 Post-Sox Career 3 Moment in the Sun 4 Trivia 5 External Links

Sox Career

Bagwell was in the Sox system for two season, moving quickly from the GCL Sox to AA Ball. At New Britain, he had a strong season, batting .333, good for a top-5 in the AA batting race. However, he hit only 4 homers, leading Lou Gorman to conclude that he lacked power. The stats masked that a lot of Bagwell's doubles were homers that were lost in spacious Beehive Stadium.

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
1989	GCL Sox	5	19	3	6	1	0	0	3	3	0	.316	.409	.368	777
1989	Winter Haven	136	481	63	160	34	7	4	61	73	57	.33	.422	.457	879
1990	New Britain	64	210	27	65	13	2	2	19	23	25	.310	.384	.419	803

According to legend, Gorman suggested the inclusion of Bagwell in the trade rather than Scott Cooper (who was at AAA). Gorman has denied this, stating that the Astros demanded inclusion of Bagwell in the trade.

Post-Sox Career

A third baseman in the Red Sox system, Bagwell was shifted to first base upon being traded to the Houston Astros. In eight different seasons between 1994 and 2003, Bagwell hit at least 30 home runs, scored at least 100 runs and drove in at least 100 runs, accomplishing this trifecta every year between 1996 and 2001. He also had seven straight seasons (1996 to 2002) in which he drew 100 or more walks. He stole 20 bases three different times, and won a Gold Glove.

Bagwell officially announced his retirement on December 15, 2006 during a press conference in Houston. He will continue to work with the Astros under a personal services contract he signed with the club. He finished his career as the Astros' all-time leader with 449 home runs, 1,529 RBIs and 969 extra base hits.

Moment in the Sun

• 1991 NL Rookie of the Year Award
• 1991 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• 4-time NL All-Star (1994, 1996, 1997 & 1999)
• National League MVP (1994)
• National League Gold Glove Winner (1994)
• 3-time NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1994, 1997 & 1999)

Trivia

• Bagwell is the first and only player in MLB History to hit 30 homers, 100 RBIs, 100 runs and 100 walks in six straight seasons.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Jeff Bagwell at ESPN.com