At long last ...
Astros legend sees today’s induction as ‘a culmination of our era’
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Cheers of “Baggy, Baggy, Baggy” and “We Love You, Jeff” emanated from the street as Jeff Bagwell rolled into baseball immortality.
Bagwell and his wife, Rachel, waved to the hordes of fans who filled either side of historic Main Street for the annual Parade of Legends on Saturday night in Cooperstown. Shortly after 7 p.m. local time, they exited the back of a shiny blue pickup and made their way across the red carpet and through the doors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the end of the parade route.
On Sunday afternoon, in a ceremony that will begin at 12:30 p.m. Central time, Bagwell will officially become the second Astros player inducted into the Hall of Fame. The plaque that will be on display forever in baseball’s hallowed halls will be unveiled after Bagwell delivers his speech on a stage he will share with fellow Astro Craig Biggio and more than 50 other living Hall of Famers.
“I think this is a culmination of our era,” Bagwell, 49, said. “For Craig and I to be in the Hall of Fame together, I think that means a lot to the city. It means a lot to Craig and I as well.”
Bagwell was the third-to-last Hall of Famer to arrive at the redbrick museum Saturday night after a more-than-hour long procession of baseball’s all-time greats. It began with Whitey Ford, who appropriately rode in a white Ford, and ended with Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, who along with Tim Raines, Bud Selig and John Schuerholz will be forever linked to Bagwell as the members of the Hall of Fame’s class of 2017.
The crowd on Saturday was pro-Astros. Orange-clad fans lined up on either side of the street hours before the parade began in the early evening. Many draped Astros flags or Bagwell-related signs over the barriers dividing the street from the sidewalk. They sat in lawn chairs or positioned themselves for autographs as they waited for their heroes to ride past.
Along with the throng of As tr os fans, dozens of former Bagwell teammates, coaches and former and current Astros executives have descended on this quaint town in upstate New York to celebrate.
Former managers Larry Dierker and Phil Garner are here, as are former Bagwell teammates like Moises Alou and, of course, Biggio, whose parade truck preceded his fellow Killer B’s by seven cars. Bill Wood, the general manager who made the famed Larry Andersen-for-Bagwell swap in August of 1990, made the trip to Cooperstown, as did his former scouting director, Dan O’Brien, and the New England-area scout who recommended Bagwell, Tom Mooney.
“(Bagwell) was really the main offensive engine that we had for a long period of time,” said Gerry Hunsicker, the Astros’ general manager for the majority of Bag well’ s 15- year career .“He had virtually no protection in the lineup, so he didn’t get pitched to very well. He had to play in the Astrodome, which was death valley for sluggers. And yet he put up unbelievable numbers.”
One of the most feared righthanded hitters of his era, Bagwell is the Astros’ all-time leader in home runs (449), RBIs (1,529) and walks (1,401). The slugging first baseman ranks second in hits (2,314), total bases (4,213) and games played (2,150) behind only Biggio, the other half of a duo synonymous with the golden age of Astros baseball that featured four division titles and culminated in the franchise’s lone World Series appearance in 2005.
“It just validates an entire era of Astros baseball now that No. 5 and No. 7 are both in the Hall of Fame,” said Bill Brown, who as the As tr os’ television play-by-play broadcaster called the countless memorable moment soft he careers of both As tr os Hall of Fame rs.
Hun sick er described Bag well as “the proverbial complete player.” Along with his power, Bagwell stole 202 bases, a source of immense pride for the 1994 National League MVP and four-time All-Star. A converted third baseman, he also played a Gold Glove-caliber first base.
“He could beat you a lot of ways,” said former longtime Astros coach Matt Galante.
The crowning achievement of Bagwell’s career comes in a year when the current iteration of the Astros, led by a trio of young stars in Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa, are amid the best start in franchise history. The next Astros Hall of Famer might be one from this year’s team. This much appears clear: Bagwell, the second in three summers, will be the last for quite a while.
Never one who wants to speak much about himself, Bagwell will focus on those who helped him reach the status of a baseball immortal in his speech. His parents, Robert and Janice, each made it to Cooperstown for their son’s coronation. Countless others made the drive from Bagwell’s home state of Connecticut, including friends from alma maters Xavier High School and the University of Hartford.
“I can talk about baseball, and I can talk about my friends,” Bagwell said of his speech. “I can speak from my heart on that. Your speech is just trying to get it in the order of how you want to give it to the crowd and give it to the people who I’ m talking about. It should be OK.”
Bagwell said Saturday he didn’t yet know what his plaque looks like.
“I’m dying to see what that thing looks like,” said Bagwell, who retired in 2006 and still lives in Houston with his wife and children. “I don’t know what picture they have.”
When it’s mounted, Bagwell’s plaque will hang just a few spots to the right and on the other side a partition from Biggio’s.
“It is cool. That whole area inside the Hall of Fame, it’s pretty intimidating to see all those guys,” Bagwell said. “Just to be up there on the wall, I don’t care if it was in the bathroom, it’s a pretty exciting thing.”