Sunday, August 26, 2001
Baseball Insider
Bagwell proves worth
By Chris Haft
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jeff Bagwell doesn't want to be lumped with the all-time greats. But the facts dictate his name belongs alongside theirs.
Mark Sept.3-5 on your calendar. That's when the Houston Astros visit Cinergy Field to play the Reds. If you want to see a future Hall of Famer, drop by and feast your eyes on Bagwell, Houston's first baseman.
“If he continues to play like he has been and stay healthy, he has a chance to make it,” Astros manager Larry Dierker said, referring to Bagwell's Cooperstown chances. “It's hard for anybody to be as consistent as he has been through the years. He's like an ironman. He plays hard and he plays under control, so he manages to get in almost 162 games every year.”
That has helped Bagwell reach statistical standards only the elite have reached. Friday, he joined Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as the only players to hit 30 homers, score 100 runs and collect 100 RBI for six consecutive seasons. In a closely related category, he's one of eight players with six 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons in a row, along with Foxx, Gehrig, Ruth, Albert Belle, Sammy Sosa, Willie Mays and Rafael Palmeiro.
“Don't mention me with those guys. They're in movies and stuff,” Bagwell told Houston-area reporters. “Those are guys I can't even fathom having my name associated with. It just doesn't register.”
Why? Because Bagwell genuinely thinks he should be better.
“I'm a glass-is-half-empty type of guy,” he said. “I'm never satisfied about what I do. I don't think anybody has ever perfected this game. There's so much failure that goes on. I think I have a long way to go.”
HYZDU THE HERO: Pittsburgh Pirates utilityman Adam Hyzdu, a Moeller High School graduate, hustles on the field and is a devout Christian off the field. But a lot of players fit this description.
So something else must have made Hyzdu wildly popular while he spent the previous two seasons with the Altoona Curve, Pittsburgh's Double-A affiliate.
Hyzdu remains a beloved figure in Altoona. He had his number retired after last season. He recently returned there during an offday for an autograph session. And, in this year's version of a heartfelt tribute, the Curve gave away bobblehead dolls with his likeness.
A puzzled Hyzdu told Pittsburgh reporters: “It's like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. How do you explain that?”
WAITING FOR PEDRO: Tonight's the night the Boston Red Sox have been waiting for. Or is it?
Ace right-hander Pedro Martinez, sidelined for two months with inflammation in his rotator cuff, rejoins the starting rotation to face Texas. After posting a 45-30 record and a 3.44 ERA through June 26, before Martinez was shelved, Boston has gone 26-26 with a 4.84 ERA since.
Yet catcher Scott Hatteberg tried to put Martinez's impact in perspective.
“I think people on the outside have a distorted view of what he brings us,” Hatteberg told the Boston Herald. “He will not put us in the playoffs. He will give us a nice boost. But we have to win on the days he doesn't pitch.”
By contrast, manager Joe Kerrigan said: “It's only one game we're talking about, but I think the atmosphere would change around here. I think people would say, "Now we can make a push.' I think that would help tremendously.”
QUICK PITCHES: When the Astros and Pirates played recently, the starting lineups featured three sons of former big-leaguers — Houston's Moises Alou (son of Felipe), Pittsburgh's Jason Kendall (Fred) and Gary Matthews Jr. This number will grow to four next month when Pittsburgh faces the Reds, who have Ken Griffey Jr. and Aaron Boone (assuming the latter is off the disabled list).
• Given the Reds' tendency to bring back players for second and even third looks, it wouldn't be surprising if they signed reliever C.J. Nitkowski, their first-round selection in the 1994 draft. Detroit recently outrighted Nitkowski to Triple-A Toledo; free agency is likely his next step. Danger sign: Nitkowski's fellow lefties were hitting .312 and slugging .558 against him.
• Just wait — Frank Catalanotto's name will soon join the list of top American League hitters. The Texas Rangers utilityman, who took a .348 average into Saturday, has been playing regularly in the outfield since Ruben Mateo was traded to Cincinnati and Rusty Greer was injured. Catalanotto's barely short of having enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title but should make up the difference in September.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks have set a major-league record with 13 pinch-hit home runs. “If you had asked me what record I wanted to be part of before the year, I would never have said, "Pinch-hit home runs,'” David Dellucci, who has five, told Arizona reporters. “But it's kind of rewarding that we're doing our job.”
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