“As far as on the field, the only thing I wanted to be remembered as is that I was consistent.”
Running a baseball team involves a lot of moving parts. Fixing one problem often means creating another. One thing the Astros have not had to worry about for the last 15 years is filling out the line-up card at first base.
Thanks to Lance Berkman, that should continue not to be a problem for awhile. But for the last decade and a half, Jeff Bagwell was the constant that made first base the cornerstone of a perennially contending franchise.
In baseball, consistency commands a premium. Free agents come and go. Players break out for a season or two then plummet back to earth. Injuries bore holes into otherwise formidable line-ups.
Many of the descriptors that reflect Bagwell’s greatness as a player are well known. Rookie of the year in 1991. Unanimous MVP in 1994. Four-time all-star.
From 1991 to 2004, Bagwell was the starting first baseman for the Astros. He appeared at that position in 2,087 of the team’s 2,203 games in those 14 seasons.
But durability alone is not enough for consistency. Cal Ripken sometimes batted .320 and sometimes batted .250. What the Astros got from Bagwell was a reliability of quality almost unmatched in recent times. It seemed like season after season of 30 home runs, 100 runs, 100 RBI, 100 walks.
To understand what it is to be consistent, consider another point of view, looking at the National League from 1991 to 2004, team by team, position by position. Here are all National League teams in production from the first base position, averaged from 1991 to 2004:
Team Avg OBP Slg OPS HR R RBI BB RC ------------------------------------------------------------ Rockies .326 .400 .590 .990 36 114 123 73 143 Astros .295 .400 .535 .935 33 112 112 102 127 Cardinals .282 .367 .499 .866 32 93 103 80 112 Brewers .273 .357 .476 .832 29 92 103 80 105 Cubs .292 .373 .456 .829 18 88 90 78 103 ------------------------------------------------------------ Padres .275 .361 .463 .824 25 83 98 80 99 Diamondbacks .282 .362 .460 .822 23 88 94 77 103 Braves .279 .348 .473 .821 26 81 98 63 98 Reds .292 .357 .449 .806 18 85 88 62 99 Phillies .274 .352 .453 .805 22 88 94 72 97 ------------------------------------------------------------ Mets .277 .357 .442 .799 20 79 88 74 95 Giants .273 .348 .447 .795 22 83 95 69 94 Florida .266 .338 .447 .785 23 79 89 64 90 Dodgers .264 .325 .445 .770 26 77 95 55 88 Pirates .256 .325 .430 .755 21 83 88 61 85 ------------------------------------------------------------ Expos .259 .330 .423 .752 19 78 81 62 84
Only the Rockies enjoyed more production at first base over that span (which began in 1993 for Colorado). As one would expect, however, the park effects in Colorado were significant:
Team Split Avg OBP Slg OPS HR R RBI BB ---------------------------------------------------------- Rockies Home .311 .375 .515 .890 116 517 491 285 Rockies Away .258 .326 .407 .733 77 347 328 265
(Figures are season averages of the Rockies and their opponents combined.)
Given that the Rockies enjoyed an advantage of 53 points of batting average, 49 points of OBP and 108 points of slugging average in Colorado, the gap between the Rockies and Astros does not seem as significant. The Astros played in an environment that was neutral, or slightly favorable to pitchers, from 1991 to 2004:
Team Split Avg OBP Slg OPS HR R RBI BB ---------------------------------------------------------- Astros Home .260 .326 .405 .732 72 357 338 265 Astros Away .265 .334 .414 .748 79 371 350 378
(Figures are season averages of the Astros and their opponents combined.)
Not only did the Astros enjoy terrific production on average from the first base position from 1991 to 2004, but in most seasons, the Astros were in the top five at first base in virtually every important offensive category.
Seasons in top five in batting average at first base:
Astros 11 (1991-1996, 1998-2002)
Rockies 11
Reds 7
Seasons in top five in OBP at first base:
Astros 13 (1991-2002, 2004)
Rockies 9
Cardinals 7
Cubs 7
Seasons in top five in slugging average at first base:
Rockies 12
Astros 11 (1991, 1993-1994, 1996-2003)
Braves 7
Seasons in top five in OPS at first base:
Astros 13 (1991-2003)
Rockies 11
Cardinals 6
Seasons in top five in home runs at first base:
Rockies 12
Astros 11 (1994-2004)
Dodgers 8
Padres 8
Seasons in top five in runs at first base:
Astros 12 (1992, 1994-2004)
Rockies 11
Cardinals 7
Seasons in top five in RBI at first base:
Astros 10 (1992, 1994-2002)
Rockies 10
Braves 8
Seasons in top five in walks at first base:
Astros 13 (1991-1992, 1994-2004)
Cubs 9
Cardinals 7
Seasons in top five in runs created at first base:
Astros 13 (1991-2003)
Rockies 12
Cardinals 7
Worth noting is that the Astros were never out of the top five at first base in consecutive seasons in OBP, slugging avearge, OPS, runs, walks and runs created over that span. In batting average and RBI, the Astros only missed the top five at first base in consecutive seasons when Bagwell’s shoulder began to take its toll, in 2003 and 2004. And in home runs, the Astros only missed the top five at first base in consecutive seasons at the beginning of Bagwell’s career, from 1991 to 1993.
Again, given the park advantage enjoyed by the Rockies, it is clear that the Astros got the most prolific production, season on season, at first base during the era when Bagwell was the full-time starter.
Expanding beyond just first base, the Astros, from 1991 to 2004, were as productive at first base as almost any team/position combination in the National League.
Here are the lines on the top 10 team/position combinations:
Team Pos Avg OBP Slg OPS HR R RBI BB RC ------------------------------------------------------------------- Giants LF .302 .437 .604 1.040 42 121 112 133 149 Rockies 1B .326 .400 .590 .990 42 114 123 73 143 Rockies RF .318 .387 .557 .944 31 116 115 68 133 Astros 1B .295 .400 .535 .935 33 112 112 102 127 Diamondbacks LF .298 .383 .519 .902 29 101 105 85 125 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Chicago RF .279 .346 .537 .883 43 101 118 64 117 Cardinals CF .284 .374 .507 .881 29 108 98 86 114 Expos RF .293 .358 .510 .868 28 95 96 61 113 Cardinals 1B .282 .367 .499 .866 32 93 103 80 112 Phillies RF .293 .382 .475 .858 20 91 88 85 108
The only team/position combinations consistently ahead of the Astros at first base over that period were the Giants at left field (Barry Bonds, 1993-2004) and the Rockies at first base (Andres Galarraga, 1993-1997, Todd Helton, 1998-2004) and right field (Dante Bichette, 1993-1994, Larry Walker, 1995-2003).
So that puts Bagwell (and his subs) behind only the player stringing together the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history and some pretty good players in the best hitter’s park ever.
The Astros knew that year in and year out, what they would get from Bagwell was among the most productive offensive contributions in the National League. Maybe not the No. 1 performance in the league every season, but among the career years of other players, young stars on the rise and future Hall of Famers at their peaks, the Astros could count on a lethal combination of hitting for average, hitting for power, drawing walks, stealing bases and playing solid defense.
Bagwell was not like a box of chocolates. When he was healthy — until a degenerative shoulder condition made it too painful for him to continue playing the game for the team to which he devoted himself for his entire big-league career — you always knew what you were going to get.
If he set out to achieve consistency, Jeff Bagwell undoubtedly hit that one over the tracks onto Crawford Street. If only we could have seen it one last time.