MLB: Molony: Why Bagwell should be in Hall of Fame

Is Jeff Bagwell the greatest 1B in NL history?...Jim Molony (not that one) makes the case.

But Bagwell’s candidacy for the Hall and the basis for the case that he’s the best all-around first baseman in NL history goes beyond the awards and the popular measuring sticks. There have simply been precious few first baseman who not only compiled Hall-worthy numbers at the plate, but ones who were also All-Stars when it came down to fielding, baserunning and all of the little things that make a complete player.

There have been first basemen with more power and some who drove in more runs than Bagwell. There are some with better career batting averages and/or on-base percentages than Bagwell. In fact, Bagwell doesn’t have sole possession of the lead among Hall of Fame first baseman in any single statistical category, but I challenge you to find a first baseman in the Hall with 400 or more homers, a .290 or better career batting average, 1,500 or more RBIs and 200 or more stolen bases.