I wasn't counting the junior circuit. I'd take Bag's numbers over the Big Hurt because he was doing it in the Dome instead of New Comiskey, but both guys had amazing seasons.
Their seasons were incredibly similar. Thomas put up better raw stats, but new Comiskey is by no means a hitter's park, so when you correct the stats for league and park effects, they turn out to be almost identical.
New Comiskey has consistantly been a below average park for lefties, but it's neutral for righthanders, like Thomas. The Dome was always a pitcher's park, though less extreme in the mid-90s than it was in the 80s. As you said, their seasons were very similar (as were their careers until Jeff's injury), but I'd give the edge to Bags based on his superior defense and the negative influence of the Dome on righthanded power hitters (and just hitters in general).
i like bagwell in 94 because following him that season is still more vivid in my mind than watching biggio in '98. i just remember watching him and thinking this is the best player i've ever seen in my life. i was wrong but he was still amazing. biggio too, but bagwell will always have just the slightest edge in my book.
IMO, the 98 Biggio season will always stand out because that was the greatest Astros regular season ever and to see 50-50 along with the Unit going 10-1 and the Stros winning over 100 games trumps the strike year in which Bags broke his hand anyway and would of not played again. It's real close but the memory of the strike and my personal belief Jeff was taking winstrol (I have no proof) and Biggio was clean (also no proof)
yeah the 98 season was the greatest regular season in astros history. maybe our best team ever. i know we've talked about nothing being as good as seeing johnson in a fully packed dome. 94 is nowhere close to that. but that is exactly why, individually speaking, bagwell's 94 is more memorable to me than biggio's 98. there was so much going on in 98 that craig kind of got overshadowed. bagwell had zero competition for attention that year.
Well Bagwell's 94 was overshadowed by the strike but I see what your saying. Still Biggio in 98 really stands out to me just like Beltran in the 2004 playoffs. Yeah the Unit was bringing it every 5th day but Biggio was bringing it every night the heart and soul of that team. In the 2004 playoffs Berkman was bringing it by putting up just sick numbers but Beltran was just that much better. I think 94 was so great (until they stopped playing) because we had this guy who we knew was good just dominate like we have never seen an Astro dominate and we were in the race for the first time in years.
Spiers. No question. Given a choice between Bags of Bigg, though, Bigg. It's tough to get past Bags ridiculous batting stance and annoying habit of getting his hand broke.
