Some epic seasons were only partially realized this year. Jeff Bagwell had probably the best season by a National League hitter in 50 years; Matt Williams was on pace to match Roger Maris' home run record; Tony Gwynn had a shot at hitting .400; Barry Bonds was on pace for 40 homers and stolen bases. Yep, the ball was juiced a little, and some players put up some big numbers. But a player strike wiped out the final third of the season, as well as the World Series.

         Jeff Bagwell had a stunning season, and was the MVP. Bagwell's slugging percentage was highest by an NL player since Rogers Hornsby in 1925. With his high average and tremendous power, and also speed on the bases and patience at the plate, Bagwell was an almost perfect player. Despite tremendous seasons from Gwynn, Williams, Bonds and others, Bagwell was a unanimous choice for MVP.
        Bagwell was a prospect with Red Sox in 1990 when the Sox, in a pennant race and feeling the need for a veteran reliever, traded the young third baseman to Houston for Larry Anderson. The Astros moved Bagwell to first base, and he won the Rookie Of The Year Award in 1991. In his first three years he was a line drive hitter with doubles power; in 1993, he hit .300 for the first time and set a career high with 20 home runs. Playing in the Astrodome, of course, curbed his power numbers, but Bagwell had still established himself as a productive player.
        Beginning with this season, Bagwell did what many others failed to do: he tamed the spacious dimensions of the Astrodome, and became one of the best and most consistent power hitters in the league. At this writing, he has 380 home runs in his career; many of those were hit at the old Astrodome, though Bagwell also hit a career-high 47 homers after the team moved to cozy Enron Field in 2000. Bagwell has also remained a .300 hitter who hits a prolific number of doubles and has stolen almost 200 bases. Perhaps most impressive has been Bagwell's ability to get on base; three times he has had a .450 on-base percentage, and he has drawn as many as 149 walks in a season.
        Bagwell has already established himself as one of the best first basemen in baseball history. He may be the best since Lou Gehrig retired, and his career is still going strong. The only blemish on his career has been his postseason record; four times Bagwell has led the Astros into the playoffs, but they have never won a playoff series. In those four series, Bagwell has batted only .174 with no home runs. You can be sure, however, that Red Sox fans wish they had gotten a chance to watch Bagwell in a Boston uniform.
        Tony Gwynn had been a brilliant player for the Padres in the 1980's, winning four batting titles in that decade. The early 1990's had been a rough time for Tony; though he still hit for good averages, he was often injured, and his run production declined. Now, at age 34, he embarked on a new, extremely productive phase in his career that included four straight batting titles. His .394 average was the highest by any player since Ted Williams in 1941; his eight career batting titles tie him with Honus Wagner for the NL record.
        Tony retired after 20 seasons, and will have no trouble getting into the Hall Of Fame. With 3141 hits under his belt, a .338 lifetime batting average, over 300 stolen bases, over 500 doubles, and numerous Gold Gloves, he is overqualified for the Hall. Tony was also one of the few great contact hitters left in the game; he finished his career with 9288 at bats, and struck out only 434 times. By contrast, he was also been intentionally walked 203 times.
         Matt Williams missed a chance to break Roger Maris' great home run record a few years before McGwire and Sosa did it. He was on pace to hit 60 home runs when the strike cut his season short. Williams was one of the best third basemen of the decade, a tremendous power hitter and RBI man and an accomplished defensive player. Williams was a key to several outstanding Giants teams, won a pennant with Cleveland and a World Series with Arizona.
        Williams debuted with the Giants in 1987 at age 21. Three years later, Williams had batted almost 700 times in the majors but had a career average of only .198. But the Giants stuck with him, and he led the league in RBI in 1990. Though a variety of injuries have cut into his career, Williams has remained a solid run producer who drove in 142 runs for the Diamondbacks in 1999. At this writing, Williams has 374 lifetime homers.
        Another third baseman who had an impressive season was Tim Wallach. Wallach was 36 years old, and it was surprising that he was still in the league. Wallach's batting averages the previous three years were .225, .223 and .222, and a comeback seemed unlikely. Wallach spent most of his 17-year career with the Montreal Expos, and was a fine defensive third baseman who won three Gold Gloves. As a hitter he usually had solid numbers, and he once drove in 123 runs in a season (1987). Wallach finished his career with over 2000 lifetime hits, as well as 260 home runs.
        When the strike hit, the Expos had the best record in the league. They had three outstanding outfielders, and a great young shortstop in Wil Cordero, and a pitching staff that included Pedro Martinez and John Wetteland. Cordero was only 22, and looked like he would be a great player for years. Instead, he regressed as a hitter; his defense also suffered, and he had to be moved to the outfield. He also became embroiled in some ugly incidents off the field, and the Expos got rid of him. On the whole, his career has been a major disappointment.
         After this season, the Expos ran short on funds, and had to get rid of all their best players; they still haven't recovered. The team has now been in existence for 33 years; they have produced many outstanding players, but have nothing to show for their efforts except a brief playoff run in 1981.