gold star for USAHOF

38. Mark McGwire

38. Mark McGwire
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: October 1, 1963 in Pomona, CA USA
  • Weight: 215 lbs.
  • Height: 6'5"
  • Bats: R
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: August 22, 1986
  • Final Game: October 07, 2001
  • Rookie of the Year - 1987
  • Gold Glove - 1990
  • Silver Slugger - 1992
  • TSN All-Star - 1992
  • Silver Slugger - 1996
  • TSN All-Star - 1996
  • Silver Slugger - 1998
  • TSN All-Star - 1998
  • Lou Gehrig Memorial Award - 1999
  • MVP - 1987
  • MVP - 1988
  • MVP - 1989
  • MVP - 1990
  • MVP - 1992
  • MVP - 1995
  • MVP - 1996
  • MVP - 1997
  • MVP - 1998
  • MVP - 1999
  • Rookie of the Year - 1987
 
ABRHHRRBISBAVG
12374233432521166282824 0.263
 

The accomplishments of Mark McGwire are not as distinguished as they used to be but make no mistake what an impact he had when he was smacking Home Runs at will and chasing the single season Home Run record when he was a St. Louis Cardinal.  For the younger readers, please understand that everybody was paying attention and it was what got many people back into Baseball.

With that out of the way, McGwire arrived from Oakland midway through the 1997 season bringing the power and excitement that he was known for and in 1998 (again, let’s not go into the how) he shattered Roger Maris’ record by blasting 70 Home Runs with a disgusting Slash Line of .299/.470/.752 with 147 Runs Batted In.  McGwire was the runner-up for the National League MVP. 

While the hoopla around his 1998 gone, McGwire put forth a 1999 almost as good with 65 Home Runs and a Slash Line of .278/.424/.697 and was fifth in MVP voting.  McGwire regressed the next two years as injuries mounted but in his four and half years he would hit 220 Home Runs with a .270/.427/.683 Slash Line.

A few things before we finish off on McGwire.  For those thinking we should penalize for PED use, we don’t do that here, especially when it occurred in an era where there were many users and a Commissioner who allowed it.  If you think his rank his too high based on the amount of games he played we get that but we do count impact in individual seasons, which he did have.  If you think he is too low, we also count defensive attribute of which McGwire had none.

In 2017, the Cardinals inducted McGwire into their franchise Hall of Fame.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: First Base
  • Acquired: Traded from the Oakland Athletics for Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews and Blake Stein 7/31/97.
  • Departed: Retired after the 2001 Season.
  • Games Played: 545
  • Notable Statistics: 394 Runs Scored
    469 Hits
    195 Doubles
    1 Triple
    220 Home Runs
    473 Runs Batted In
    4 Stolen Bases
    .270/.427/.683 Slash Line
    19.3 bWAR

    10 Playoff Games
    1 Run Scored
    2 Hits
    0 Doubles
    0 Triple
    1 Home Run
    1 Run Batted In
    0 Stolen Bases
    .133/.235/.333 Slash Line
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    All-Star (*1997, 1998, 1999 & 2000)
    Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1999)
    Silver Slugger (1998)
    Highest On Base Percentage (1998)
    Highest Slugging Percentage (1998)
    Highest OPS (1998)
    Most Home Runs (1998 & 1999)
    Most Runs Batted In (1999)
    Most Walks (1998)
    Highest OPS+ (1998 & 1999)
    Most Intentional Walks (1999)
    Highest Range Factor per Game by a First Baseman (1998)

    *Traded midway through the season from Oakland

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