1994 Houston Astros season
1994 Houston Astros | ||
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Division | Central Division | |
Ballpark | The Astrodome | |
City | Houston, Texas | |
Record | 66–49 (.574) | |
Owners | Drayton McLane, Jr. | |
Managers | Terry Collins | |
Television | KTXH | |
Radio | KPRC (AM) (Bill Brown, Milo Hamilton, Larry Dierker, Vince Controneo, Bill Worrell, Enos Cabell) KXYZ (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Danny Gonzalez) | |
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The Houston Astros' 1994 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Houston Astros attempting to win the inaugural season of the National League Central division; they finished in second place. First baseman Jeff Bagwell was a unanimous selection for the National League Most Valuable Player Award. Despite nearly the last two months of the being cancelled due to the 1994–95 strike, Bagwell set a then-club record for home runs with 39 and a club record for batting average (.368) and slugging percentage (.750).
Offseason
- November 27, 1993: Xavier Hernandez was traded by the Astros to the New York Yankees for Andy Stankiewicz and Domingo Jean.[1]
- December 2, 1993: Doug Jones and Jeff Juden were traded by Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies for Mitch Williams.[2]
- December 10, 1993: Eric Anthony was traded by the Astros to the Seattle Mariners for Mike Felder and Mike Hampton.[3]
- January 26, 1994: Sid Bream was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[4]
Regular season
On June 24, Jeff Bagwell hit three home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Astrodome – two in the same inning – in a 16–4 rout, becoming the first Astro since Glenn Davis in 1990 to do so. He was the NL Player of the Week for consecutive weeks on June 19 and June 26 and the NL Player of the Month for June, his second career monthly award.[5]
Overview of Jeff Bagwell's unanimous Most Valuable Player Award season
Bagwell finished the 1994 season playing in 110 games and batting .368 with a .750 SLG, 1.201 OPS, 39 HR, 116 RBI, 104 runs scored, 300 total bases and 213 adjusted OPS (OPS+) in 400 at-bats. He led the major leagues in SLG, OPS+, RBI, and total bases, and the NL in runs scored and OPS, but fell short of winning the batting Triple Crown, finishing second for the batting title to Tony Gwynn, who, after batting .394, had the highest average in the major leagues since Ted Williams in 1941.[6] Bagwell finished second in HR to Matt Williams, who hit 43.[7] Bagwell set the record for the fewest plate appearances in a season with at least 100 runs and RBI and became the first National Leaguer to finish first or second in batting average, home runs, RBI, and runs scored since Willie Mays in 1955.[8] His .750 SLG at the time ranked as the seventh-best ever[9] – it still ranks as the 11th best single-season mark in Major League history – and was the highest by a National Leaguer since Rogers Hornsby in 1925 (.756). He unanimously won the NL Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the fourth player in National League history to be unanimously voted the award, and the first Astros player to win the award.[5] Bagwell also won his first Silver Slugger Award and Rawlings Gold Glove Award, and Player of the Year Awards from the Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and USA Today Baseball Weekly.[10]
At the time, in National League history, the 213 OPS+ trailed only Hornsby's 1924 season (222 OPS+) for the second-highest ever;[11] as of 2015, it was tied for 24th highest of all time in all major league seasons, and was the eighth highest among all not by Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth or Williams. Bagwell generated a .383 Isolated Power (ISO) mark, the 16th-highest in history. Twelve of the 15 higher seasons belonged to Bonds, Ruth, and Mark McGwire. Seven of the ten seasons that exceeded his .750 SLG belonged to Bonds and Ruth. Bagwell's 10.26 at bats per home run (AB/HR) ratio is the 25th-best in history. The 1.2009 OPS is the 20th-highest in history; 13 of the seasons that are higher belong to Bonds, Ruth and Williams.[5] The 116 RBI in 110 games qualified for the 13th-highest ratio in history.[12]
Projecting Bagwell's totals to 162 games and 650 plate appearances, he was on pace to amass 47 doubles, 57 home runs, 170 RBI, 22 stolen bases, 95 walks, 216 hits, along with .451 OBP, .750 SLG, and 1.201 OPS. When leading off an inning, he batted .460, .514 OBP, .990 SLG, 1.504 OPS, 14 HR, nine doubles and a triple. He also hit 23 home runs in 56 games at the Astrodome, setting a record that stood for the stadium that was famed to be pitcher-friendly until the Astros moved out following the 1999 season.[5] Bagwell's other totals in the Astrodome that season included a .373 batting average, 54 runs scored, 58 RBI, .816 SLG and 1.275 OPS. In 125 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, he batted .457 with 20 BB, 18 HR and 11 doubles for a .544 OBP, 1.095 SLG and 1.639 OPS.[13] He set single-season club records for batting average, SLG, OPS, OPS+, AB/HR, and offensive win percentage (.858), and also for home runs, breaking Wynn's 27-year-old record, and RBI, breaking Bob Watson's record he had set 17 years earlier – later which he again both subsequently broke.[7]
By Friday, August 12, the Astros had compiled a 66-49 record through 115 games. They were trailing the Cincinnati Reds by half a game for the NL Central Division lead and the Atlanta Braves by 2.5 games in the 1994 NL Wildcard Race. They had scored 602 runs (5.23 per game) and had allowed 503 runs (4.37 per game).[14]
Offensively, the Astros led the Majors in doubles during the strike-shortened season (252) intentional walks (58) and sacrifice hits (73).[15]
Game Log
1994 Regular Season Game Log (66-49) (Home: 37-22; Road: 29-27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April (13-10) (Home: 7-5; Road: 6-5)
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May (16-12) (Home: 8-5; Road: 8-7)
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June (14-13) (Home: 8-6; Road: 6-7)
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July (16-11) (Home: 7-3; Road: 9-8)
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Legend | |||
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Astros win | Astros loss | All-Star Game | Game postponed |
Season standings
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
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Cincinnati Reds | 66 | 48 | .579 | — | 37–22 | 29–26 |
Houston Astros | 66 | 49 | .574 | ½ | 37–22 | 29–27 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 53 | 61 | .465 | 13 | 32–29 | 21–32 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 53 | 61 | .465 | 13 | 23–33 | 30–28 |
Chicago Cubs | 49 | 64 | .434 | 16½ | 20–39 | 29–25 |
Team | W | L | Pct. |
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Montreal Expos | 74 | 40 | .649 |
Cincinnati Reds | 66 | 48 | .579 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 58 | 56 | .509 |
Wild Card team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
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Atlanta Braves | 68 | 46 | 0.597 | — |
Houston Astros | 66 | 49 | 0.574 | 21⁄2 |
New York Mets | 55 | 58 | 0.487 | 121⁄2 |
San Francisco Giants | 55 | 60 | 0.478 | 131⁄2 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 54 | 61 | 0.470 | 141⁄2 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 53 | 61 | 0.465 | 15 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 53 | 61 | 0.465 | 15 |
Colorado Rockies | 53 | 64 | 0.453 | 161⁄2 |
Florida Marlins | 51 | 64 | 0.444 | 171⁄2 |
Chicago Cubs | 49 | 64 | 0.434 | 181⁄2 |
San Diego Padres | 47 | 70 | 0.402 | 221⁄2 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] | |||||||||||||||||
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Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||
Atlanta | — | 4–2 | 5–5 | 8–2 | 8–4 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 3–9 | 6–1 | 5–1 | 5–7 | |||
Chicago | 2–4 | — | 5–7 | 6–6 | 4–5 | 4–8 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 1–6 | 5–5 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 5–5 | |||
Cincinnati | 5–5 | 7–5 | — | 4–4 | 7–5 | 4–6 | 3–6 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 8–2 | 7–2 | 2–2–1 | |||
Colorado | 2–8 | 6–6 | 4–4 | — | 3–9 | 5–5 | 4–6 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 5–5 | 3–7 | 8–4 | |||
Florida | 4–8 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 9–3 | — | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–7 | 6–4 | 4–6 | 1–6 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 3–7 | |||
Houston | 3–3 | 8–4 | 6–4 | 5–5 | 4–2 | — | 1–8 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 5–5 | 8–2 | 8–4 | |||
Los Angeles | 0–6 | 3–3 | 6–3 | 6–4 | 3–3 | 8–1 | — | 3–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 3–3 | 6–4 | 5–5 | 2–4 | |||
Montreal | 5–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 7–2 | 4–2 | 9–3 | — | 4–3 | 5–4 | 8–2 | 12–0 | 5–7 | 7–3 | |||
New York | 4–5 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 4–6 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 3–4 | — | 4–6 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–3 | |||
Philadelphia | 3-6 | 6–1 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 6–4 | 1–5 | 5–7 | 4–5 | 6–4 | — | 5–4 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 4–3 | |||
Pittsburgh | 9–3 | 5–5 | 3–9 | 3–2 | 6–1 | 4–8 | 3–3 | 2–8 | 5–4 | 4–5 | — | 3–3 | 1–5 | 5–5 | |||
San Diego | 1–6 | 3–6 | 2–8 | 5–5 | 1–5 | 5–5 | 4–6 | 0–12 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 3–3 | — | 5–2 | 4–2 | |||
San Francisco | 1–5 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 7–3 | 4–2 | 2–8 | 5–5 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 5–1 | 2–5 | — | 2–4 | |||
St. Louis | 7–5 | 5–5 | 2–2–1 | 4–8 | 7–3 | 4–8 | 4–2 | 3–7 | 3–6 | 3–4 | 5–5 | 2–4 | 4–2 | — |
Opening Day lineup
Notable transactions
- May 2, 1994: Mike Simms was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[16]
- May 31, 1994: Mitch Williams was released by the Astros.[2]
- June 2, 1994: Tony Mounce was drafted by the Astros in the 7th round of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft[17]
Roster
1994 Houston Astros | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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Mike Felder | 58 | 117 | 28 | .239 | 0 | 13 |
Andy Stankiewicz | 37 | 54 | 14 | .259 | 1 | 5 |
Milt Thompson | 9 | 21 | 6 | .286 | 1 | 3 |
Mike Simms | 6 | 12 | 1 | .083 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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Doug Drabek | 23 | 164.2 | 12 | 6 | 2.84 | 121 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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Mitch Williams | 25 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7.65 | 21 |
Statistical achievements
National League individual leaders
Batting
- Adusted on-base plus slugging: Jeff Bagwell (213)
- Doubles: Craig Biggio (44)
- On-base plus slugging: Jeff Bagwell (1.201)
- Runs batted in: Jeff Bagwell (116)
- Runs scored: Jeff Bagwell (104)
- Slugging percentage: Jeff Bagwell (.750)
- Stolen bases: Craig Biggio (39)
- Total bases: Jeff Bagwell (300)
Pitching
- Bases on balls allowed: Darryl Kile (82)
Records
- Adusted on-base plus slugging for Houston Astros: Jeff Bagwell (213)
- Batting average for Houston Astros: Jeff Bagwell (.368)
- Home runs hit at Astrodome in a season: Jeff Bagwell (23)
- On-base plus slugging for Houston Astros: Jeff Bagwell (1.201)
Awards and honors
- Major League Baseball All-Stars:
- Jeff Bagwell (1B)
- Craig Biggio (2B)
- Ken Caminiti (3B)
- Doug Drabek (P)
- National League Most Valuable Player: Jeff Bagwell
- National League Pitcher of the Month Award: Doug Drabek (May)
- National League Player of the Month Award: 2× Jeff Bagwell (June & July)
- Rawlings Gold Glove Award:
- Jeff Bagwell (1B)
- Craig Biggio (2B)
- Silver Slugger Award:
- Jeff Bagwell (1B)
- Craig Biggio (2B)
- Sporting News Player of the Year Award: Jeff Bagwell
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: GCL Astros
References
- ^ Andy Stankiewicz at Baseball Reference
- ^ a b Mitch Williams at Baseball Reference
- ^ Eric Anthony at Baseball Reference
- ^ Sid Bream at Baseball Reference
- ^ a b c d Marbach, Jason (November 3, 2015). "The greatest seasons in Astros history: Jeff Bagwell, 1994". SB Nation The Crawfish Boxes. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (June 16, 2014). "Tony Gwynn, Hall of Fame batting champion, dies at 54 of cancer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014.
{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b Hulsey, Bob (August 5, 1994). "Bagwell caps MVP season". www.astrosdaily.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Ballplayers – Jeff Bagwell". Baseball Library. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
- ^ Erion, Greg (September 17, 2015). "Jeff Bagwell". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ^ "Jeff Bagwell player page bio". MLB.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ Campbell, Steve (January 25, 2012). "Best individual seasons in Astros history? The envelopes, please". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Thomas, Jr., Robert McG. (October 28, 1994). "Bagwell's latest stat: All the M.V.P. votes". The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Jeff Bagwell 1994 batting splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1994.shtml
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/1994.shtml
- ^ Mike Simms at Baseball Reference
- ^ Tony Mounce at Baseball Reference