Wait till next year?
Jeff Bagwell strikes out on first Hall of Fame try
Jeff Bagwell will certainly be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Thequestion is when?
Bagwell's known for his distinctive stance, but equally known for his loyaltyand work ethic.
Bagwell played out his entire 15-year career with the Houston Astros, and willbe the first Astro enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
It wasn't a complete whiff, but Jeff Bagwell was caught looking. Or more precisely, waiting.
Bagwell received 41.7 percent (needing 75 percent for induction) of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America in his first year of eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The results weren't unexpected — the Houston Astros great was considered a long shot to make it this year because of both the reservations about any player who competed in the steroids era (whether it's been proven they used or not) and the unofficial, but oft practiced, idea that first-ballot election should be reserved for the greats of the greats.
In the history of baseball, there have only been 44 first-ballot Hall of Famers. In the days leading up to today's announcement, Bagwell himself said he didn't expect to get in his first year of eligibility.
Bagwell can be encouraged by his percentage though. Baseball's most influential TV voice Bob Costas noted how it was a strong showing and it bodes well for Bagwell's future chances. The steroids-tainted Mark McGwire (who hit 583 home runs but was essentially a one-dimensional player) has never even received 25 percent of the vote.
Rafael Palmeiro — another player in his first year on the ballot, one with better offensive numbers than Bagwell — received only 11 percent of the vote. Palmeiro infamously tested positive for steroids after having wagged his finger at Congress and proclaimed he never took anything years earlier. The vote difference between Palmeiro and Bagwell seems to show that the baseball writers have marked a distinction between known cheaters (Palmeiro) and those who played during but were never linked to anything in the steroids era (Bagwell).
The number certainly backs up the notion that Bagwell will eventually become the first player who spent the bulk of his career with the Astros to be elected to the Hall. His on-base percentage (.408) ranks 40th all time; his slugging percentage (.540) places him 35th, he hit more than 25 homers in 14 straight seasons (including 30 or more 10 times) and he's a near career .300 hitter (.297). Bagwell has also never been tied to steroids in any official report or even fellow player allegations.
Second baseman Roberto Alomar and pitcher Bert Blyleven were the only two players elected into the Hall this year.
