Kurkjian: 'Jeff Bagwell is a Hall of Famer'
- January 5th, 2011 11:13 am CT
ESPN The Magazine senior Major League Baseball writer Tim Kurkjian defended Houston Astros icon Jeff Bagwell's Hall of Fame candidacy during a guest appearance on SportsCenter Wednesday morning, stating he doesn't understand why other voters wouldn't cast a ballot for the four-time All-Star first baseman and 1994 NL MVP as a first-ballot inductee.
Kurkjian, along with other well-known Hall of Fame voters, such has Peter Gammons, Buster Olney and Jayson Stark, believe Bagwell's career line goes above and beyond the traditional requirements, but with the suspicion of him being a dominant slugger during the Steroid Era, other voters doubt whether it's legitimate.
"I think he's a Hall of Famer," Kurkjian said. "When you look at a .297 average, 1,500 RBI and 1,500 runs scored, only 23 players in history have those numbers, and every one of them is in the Hall of Fame or is going to the Hall of Fame. Plus, Jeff Bagwell's a very good defensive player and a great baserunner. He's the only first basemen ever with 400 homers, 200 stolen bases and virtually all the advanced metrics, including WAR [Wins Above Replacement].
"Wins Above Replacement have Bagwell in. During his career, according to WAR, the only more productive player than Jeff Bagwell was Barry Bonds. That's how good he was. Plus, he was an MVP and the best player on a team that went to the playoffs numerous times, and he played a good portion of his career in a huge ballpark, the Astrodome."
According to Kukjian, the longtime respected baseball writer states that voters have no right to pass judgment unless there's bona fide proof, which brings up the fact once again that no evidence has ever linked Bagwell to performance-enhancing drug use.
He never failed a drug test nor was mentioned in the infamous Mitchell Report, with former slugger Jose Canseco even claiming he has no knowledge of Bagwell ever using steroids.
"I'm not sure how you can vote against Jeff Bagwell, even though I don't think he's going to get in," Kirkjian said. "Yet, some people have written that there are steroid accusations or steroid suspicions. I'm not buying those. I was brought up thinking that you better not accuse without some proof.
"There's absolutely no proof here for Jeff Bagwell. To me, that's the only thing that could keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Some people will set a higher standard for first basemen, and say, 'You have to have a career average over .300 or hit 500 home runs.'
"Hello, the guy's numbers are Hall of Fame numbers, period."
Although Kurkjian believes Bagwell will fall short in his first year on the ballot, he predicts the former Astros slugger will be enshrined at some point.
"I think it will be soon, if it's not this year," Kurkjian said. "
If you look at the consistency, he had six straight years of .300 with 100 RBI and 100 runs scored. The only two first basemen in baseball history to have six straight years like that without the help of the DH were Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx, who are arguably the two best first basemen of all time.
"Jeff Bagwell is in that conversation as far as the best first basemen ever ... there's no way around that.
