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Bagwell worthy of Hall call, not assumptions
- Updated: December 19, 2016
After seven seasons on the Hall of Fame ballot, this should be the year when Jeff Bagwell gains election. History is on his side. And so is his career.
Bagwell received 71.6 percent of the votes last year, with 75 percent necessary for election. Every Hall candidate who has reached the level of support he had last year has eventually been elected to the Hall.
That’s the objective, empirical direction in which Bagwell’s candidacy is headed. The other reason is in the arena of fair play, an even break, justice. The man had a career line of .297/.408/.540 with 449 home runs and 202 stolen bases. He ranks 38th in career Wins Above Replacement among position players. He put up those numbers playing the prime of his career for the Astros in a pitcher’s paradise, the Astrodome.
• Complete Hall of Fame coverage
So why hasn’t Bagwell been previously elected to the Hall of Fame? He has been victimized by a form of the unfortunate phenomenon known as “fake news.” There is not one shred of actual evidence that Bagwell used performance-enhancing substances. But some people have pretended that this evidence existed.
The MLB.com staffers who are eligible to vote in the Hall of Fame elections annually announce who we included on our ballots, as we should. In recent elections, after once again supporting Bagwell, I …
