Best all-time player for each MLB team
Houston Astros: Jeff Bagwell
Some of Nolan Ryan’s best years came with the Astros, but he did not spend his entire career in a Houston uniform or wear their cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Jeff Bagwell will finally be enshrined with the class of 2017. The first baseman spent his entire 15-year career playing for the Astros.
Bagwell was the best first baseman in the league for the 1990s. He batted .304/.416/.545 in the decade with 263 home runs and 158 stolen bases. He was a four-time All-Star and the 1994 NL MVP. Bagwell was one of the most complete first basemen in MLB history, and is the only one with not one, but two 40-30 seasons. He hit 43 home runs and stole 31 bases in 1997 and repeated the feat in 1999 with 42 homers and 30 steals.
Bagwell had to wait around on the Hall of Fame ballot due to unfounded rumors about PED use. He was also a few years short of putting up the landmark 3,000 hits and 500 home runs that guarantee entrance into the Hall. Bagwell declined quickly past the age of 32, unlike his contemporaries who were on the juice. He is a very deserving Hall of Famer, and will join teammate Craig Biggio this summer.