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Originally Posted by
zbromer 
The same argument for Walker vs. Edgar holds for Bagwell vs. Edgar. Bagwell's average was a .015 lower than Edgar. His OBP was .010 lower. Bagwell's slugging was .025 higher, meaning his OPS was better than Edgar's. Bagwell also had more hits, 140 more HRs, over 250 more RBIs, and about 300 more runs. He also stole 150 more bases. Those power, speed, and run production numbers are all considerably higher, which should more than make-up for the rather insignificant difference in average and OBP. How can you not consider him at least similar? I think many would consider him better.
So I underrated Jeff Bagwell. That doesn't change the fact that he's a career .298 hitter any more than it changes the fact that E-Mart only has 2247 career hits. Bagwell deserves to be in the HOF too.
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You can argue that Bagwell had more plate appearances, but does that argument not hold for Walker then? You can't have it both ways.
Walker did a good bit more than Edgar with fewer plate appearances.
I guess it depends on what you call "a good bit more", but generally, when you adjust the numbers for Coors. It just isn't so. There are all kinds of fancy calculations being used for that these days.
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Also, I think Bagwell's plate appearances should be counted as a credit to him. He had more plate appearances in several fewer seasons. That means Bagwell is staying healthy and playing in games and being productive. I would hold Edgar's inability to stay in the lineup as regularly as someone like Bagwell as a negative.
This is probably a good point, though it wasn't really that many fewer seasons. Edgar was not a full-time "major leaguer" until 1990 Aside from him tearing the hell out of his hamstring in 1993 (the injury that forced him into DHing for the rest of his career) and missing the last half of '93 and the first half of '94, he only failed to play in more than 130 games once.
Aren't you glad you started this conversation? On a side note, watching Edgar try to run was comical.
