Mark McGwire Stats | Baseball Prospectus

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Mark McGwire 1BAthletics

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Career Summary

Years	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	WARP
18	7660	.263	.394	.588	163	58.8

Birth Date	10-1-1963
Height	6' 5"
Weight	250 lbs

Age	60 years, 6 months, 22 days
Bats	R
Throws	R

WARP Summary

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MLB Statistics

YEAR	TEAM	AGE	G	PA	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	HBP	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	DRAA	BRR	FRAA	BWARP
1986	OAK	22	18	58	10	1	0	3	4	18	1	0	1	.189	.259	.377	88	-0.7	0.4	0.1	0.2
1987	OAK	23	151	641	161	28	4	49	71	131	5	1	1	.289	.370	.618	152	41.3	0.6	-6.6	4.2
1988	OAK	24	155	635	143	22	1	32	76	117	4	0	0	.260	.352	.478	143	30.8	-2.3	-11.9	2.5
1989	OAK	25	143	587	113	17	0	33	83	94	3	1	1	.231	.339	.467	142	28.0	-3.7	-5.9	2.6
1990	OAK	26	156	650	123	16	0	39	110	116	7	2	1	.235	.370	.489	148	35.1	-3.7	-4.0	3.6
1991	OAK	27	154	585	97	22	0	22	93	116	3	2	1	.201	.330	.383	115	11.2	-1.1	0.6	1.7
1992	OAK	28	139	571	125	22	0	42	90	105	5	0	1	.268	.385	.585	172	47.4	-2.8	-10.4	4.3
1993	OAK	29	27	107	28	6	0	9	21	19	1	0	1	.333	.467	.726	180	10.9	-0.7	-0.6	1.1
1994	OAK	30	47	172	34	3	0	9	37	40	0	0	0	.252	.413	.474	135	8.4	-0.8	-3.5	0.6
1995	OAK	31	104	422	87	13	0	39	88	77	11	1	1	.274	.441	.685	192	50.7	-1.0	1.6	5.4
1996	OAK	32	130	548	132	21	0	52	116	112	8	0	0	.312	.467	.730	201	76.1	-0.2	-5.7	7.2
1997	OAK	33	105	433	104	24	0	34	58	98	4	1	0	.284	.383	.628	171	40.8	-4.1	-8.8	3.1
1997	SLN	33	51	224	44	3	0	24	43	61	5	2	0	.253	.411	.684	163	18.9	-0.5	-3.5	1.6
1998	SLN	34	155	681	152	21	0	70	162	155	6	1	0	.299	.470	.752	211	97.4	-7.4	-9.6	8.4
1999	SLN	35	153	661	145	21	1	65	133	141	2	0	0	.278	.424	.697	184	77.6	-4.7	-0.3	7.3
2000	SLN	36	89	321	72	8	0	32	76	78	7	1	0	.305	.483	.746	191	42.0	-4.4	2.6	4.1
2001	SLN	37	97	364	56	4	0	29	56	118	3	0	0	.187	.316	.492	120	11.2	-1.6	-6.1	0.7
Career			1874	7660	1626	252	6	583	1317	1596	75	12	8	.263	.394	.588	163	627.1	-38.0	-72.1	58.8

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	Lg	LG	G	PA	oppAVG	oppOBP	oppSLG	BABIP	BPF	BRAA	repLVL	POS_ADJ	DRC+	DRC+ SD	FRAA	BRR	DRAA	BWARP
1984	MOD	A+	CLF	16	63	.000	.000	.000	.303			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1985	MOD	A+	CLF	138	596	.000	.000	.000	.308			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1986	OAK	MLB	AL	18	58	.262	.319	.412	.219	96	-1.1	1.6	0.2	88	16	0.1	0.4	-0.7	0.2
1986	HUN	AA	SOU	55	249	.000	.000	.000	.348			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1986	TAC	AAA	PCL	78	330	.000	.000	.000	.376			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1987	OAK	MLB	AL	151	641	.266	.332	.426	.291	94	56.5	18.9	-11.5	152	11	-6.6	0.6	41.3	4.2
1988	OAK	MLB	AL	155	635	.264	.327	.400	.274	95	27.8	16.6	-10.6	143	10	-11.9	-2.3	30.8	2.5
1989	OAK	MLB	AL	143	587	.261	.323	.384	.214	95	22.5	15.3	-9.8	142	8	-5.9	-3.7	28.0	2.6
1990	OAK	MLB	AL	156	650	.261	.327	.390	.223	94	38.5	17.4	-11.2	148	8	-4.0	-3.7	35.1	3.6
1991	OAK	MLB	AL	154	585	.261	.327	.397	.214	97	6.2	15.8	-10.1	115	7	0.6	-1.1	11.2	1.7
1992	OAK	MLB	AL	139	571	.263	.328	.391	.252	97	50	14.8	-9.5	172	11	-10.4	-2.8	47.4	4.3
1993	OAK	MLB	AL	27	107	.277	.340	.420	.333	96	16	3.1	-1.9	180	16	-0.6	-0.7	10.9	1.1
1994	OAK	MLB	AL	47	172	.284	.354	.470	.291	96	11.7	5.2	-3.3	135	11	-3.5	-0.8	8.4	0.6
1995	OAK	MLB	AL	104	422	.266	.336	.422	.232	97	52.1	12.6	-8	192	13	1.6	-1.0	50.7	5.4
1996	OAK	MLB	AL	130	548	.274	.343	.442	.308	100	68.3	16.9	-10.8	201	10	-5.7	-0.2	76.1	7.2
1997	OAK	MLB	AL	105	433	.271	.339	.428	.293	101	30.8	11.9	-8.1	171	8	-8.8	-4.1	40.8	3.1
1997	SLN	MLB	NL	51	224	.261	.329	.410	.220	98	24.2	6.0	-4.2	163	8	-3.5	-0.5	18.9	1.6
1998	SLN	MLB	NL	155	681	.262	.329	.412	.285	100	89.9	17.7	-12.9	211	11	-9.6	-7.4	97.4	8.4
1999	SLN	MLB	NL	153	661	.269	.337	.428	.250	100	64.5	17.9	-13.2	184	8	-0.3	-4.7	77.6	7.3
2000	SLN	MLB	NL	89	321	.268	.347	.436	.313	113	33.3	10.1	-6.1	191	13	2.6	-4.4	42.0	4.1
2001	SLN	MLB	NL	97	364	.266	.330	.432	.171	103	2.9	10.8	-6.8	120	10	-6.1	-1.6	11.2	0.7

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

Year	Team	lvl	LG	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	SF	SH
1984	MOD	A+	CLF	63	55	7	11	3	0	1	17	1	8	21	0	0	.200	.302	.309	.109	0	0
1985	MOD	A+	CLF	596	489	95	134	23	3	24	235	106	96	108	1	2	.274	.397	.481	.207	0	0
1986	TAC	AAA	PCL	330	280	42	89	21	5	13	159	59	42	67	1	1	.318	.408	.568	.250	2	2
1986	HUN	AA	SOU	249	195	40	59	15	0	10	104	53	46	45	3	0	.303	.436	.533	.231	1	1
1986	OAK	MLB	AL	58	53	10	10	1	0	3	20	9	4	18	0	1	.189	.259	.377	.189	0	0
1987	OAK	MLB	AL	641	557	97	161	28	4	49	344	118	71	131	1	1	.289	.370	.618	.329	8	0
1988	OAK	MLB	AL	635	550	87	143	22	1	32	263	99	76	117	0	0	.260	.352	.478	.218	4	1
1989	OAK	MLB	AL	587	490	74	113	17	0	33	229	95	83	94	1	1	.231	.339	.467	.237	11	0
1990	OAK	MLB	AL	650	523	87	123	16	0	39	256	108	110	116	2	1	.235	.370	.489	.254	9	1
1991	OAK	MLB	AL	585	483	62	97	22	0	22	185	75	93	116	2	1	.201	.330	.383	.182	5	1
1992	OAK	MLB	AL	571	467	87	125	22	0	42	273	104	90	105	0	1	.268	.385	.585	.317	9	0
1993	OAK	MLB	AL	107	84	16	28	6	0	9	61	24	21	19	0	1	.333	.467	.726	.393	1	0
1994	OAK	MLB	AL	172	135	26	34	3	0	9	64	25	37	40	0	0	.252	.413	.474	.222	0	0
1995	OAK	MLB	AL	422	317	75	87	13	0	39	217	90	88	77	1	1	.274	.441	.685	.410	6	0
1996	OAK	MLB	AL	548	423	104	132	21	0	52	309	113	116	112	0	0	.312	.467	.730	.418	1	0
1997	SLN	MLB	NL	224	174	38	44	3	0	24	119	42	43	61	2	0	.253	.411	.684	.431	2	0
1997	OAK	MLB	AL	433	366	48	104	24	0	34	230	81	58	98	1	0	.284	.383	.628	.344	5	0
1998	SLN	MLB	NL	681	509	130	152	21	0	70	383	147	162	155	1	0	.299	.470	.752	.454	4	0
1999	SLN	MLB	NL	661	521	118	145	21	1	65	363	147	133	141	0	0	.278	.424	.697	.418	5	0
2000	SLN	MLB	NL	321	236	60	72	8	0	32	176	73	76	78	1	0	.305	.483	.746	.441	2	0
2001	SLN	MLB	NL	364	299	48	56	4	0	29	147	64	56	118	0	0	.187	.316	.492	.304	6	0

Plate Discipline

YEAR	Pits	Zone%	Swing%	Contact%	Z-Swing%	O-Swing%	Z-Contact%	O-Contact%	SwStr%	CSAA

Injury History — No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On	Date Off	Transaction	Days	Games	Side	Body Part	Injury	Severity	Surgery Date	Reaggravation
2001-08-23	2001-09-01	DTD	9	8	Right	Thigh	Strain	Hamstring	-	-
2001-04-16	2001-05-28	15-DL	42	36	Right	Knee	Inflammation		-	-
2000-10-23	2000-10-23	Off	0	0	Right	Knee	Surgery		2000-10-23	-
2000-07-07	2000-09-08	15-DL	63	56	Right	Knee	Inflammation	Patellar Tendinitis	-	-
1996-07-27	1996-08-01	DTD	5	4	-	Low Back	Spasms		-	-
1996-04-01	1996-04-23	15-DL	22	18	-	Foot	Inflammation		-	-
1995-08-06	1995-08-26	15-DL	20	19	-	Low Back	Soreness		-	-
1995-07-18	1995-08-02	15-DL	15	13	Left	Foot	Contusion		-	-
1994-04-30	1994-06-18	15-DL	49	43	Left	Foot	Stress Fracture	Heel	-	-
1993-09-10	1993-10-04	DTD	24	24	Left	Foot	Surgery	Plantar Fascia and Bone Spur	1993-09-24	-
1993-05-14	1993-09-03	60-DL	112	101	Left	Foot	Recovery From Strain	Partial Tear Plantar Fascia	-	-
1993-05-05	1993-05-05	DTD	0	0	Left	Foot	Strain	Partial Tear Plantar Fascia	-	-
1992-08-22	1992-09-13	15-DL	22	20	Right	Trunk	Strain	Rib Cage	-	-
1989-04-11	1989-04-26	15-DL	15	14	-	Low Back	Cartilage Injury	Herniated Disc	-	-

Compensation

Year	Team	Salary
2001	SLN	$11,000,000
2000	SLN	$9,333,333
1999	OAK	$8,833,333
1998	OAK	$8,333,333
1997	OAK	$7,100,000
1996	OAK	$7,000,000
1995	OAK	$6,900,000
1994	OAK	$3,000,000
1993	OAK	$4,000,000
1992	OAK	$2,700,000
1991	OAK	$2,850,000
1990	OAK	$1,500,000
1989	OAK	$455,000
1988	OAK	$250,000
1987	OAK	$72,500
1986	OAK	$

Years	Description	Salary
15 yr	Previous	$73,327,499
15 yr	Total	$73,327,499

Service Time	Agent	Contract Status
14 y 47 d	Robert Cohen

Details

2 years/$30M (2002-03). Retired 11/01, leaving 2002-03 extension unsigned. 02:$14M, 03:$16M. Attendance bonus of $2 per fan for each fan beyond 2.8 million. About 25% of $30M deferred at "reasonable" interest rate. 2002-03 extension negotiated without an agent.
3 years/$28.5M (1998-2000), plus 2001 mutual option. Signed extension with St. Louis 9/16/97. $1M signing bonus. 98:$8M, 99:$8.5M, 00:$9M, 01:$11M mutual option ($2M buyout). Attendance bonus of $1 per fan for each fan beyond 2.8 million. Bonus worth $586,493 in 2000.
5 years/$28M (1993-97). Re-signed by Oakland as a free agent 12/24/92. $7M signing bonus. 93:$2.6M, 94:$1.6M, 95:$5.5M, 96:$5.6M, 97:$5.7M. Acquired by St. Louis in trade with Oakland 7/31/97.
1 year/$2.7M (1992). Re-signed by Oakland 2/92 (avoided arbitration, $2.85M-$2.45M).
1 year/$2.85M (1991). Re-signed by Oakland 2/91 (avoided arbitration $3.3M-$2M).
1 year/$1.5M (1990). Re-signed by Oakland 2/90 (avoided arbitration, $1.72M-$1M). May earn up to $170,000 in performance bonuses.
1 year/$455,000 (1989). Received $55,500 in bonuses.
1 year/$250,000 (1988)
1 year/$72,500 (1987)
1 year/$60,000 (1986).
Drafted by Oakland 1984 (1-10) (USC). $125,000 signing bonus. Drafted by Montreal 1981 (8-198) (did not sign).

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	VORP	FRAA	WARP
Weighted Mean	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0	0	?	?	.000	.000	.000	0	0.0	?	0.0

BP Annual Player Comments

No BP Book Comments have been found for this player.

BP Articles

Click here to see articles tagged with Mark McGwire

BP Chats

Date	Question	Answer
2019-07-22 15:00:00 (link to chat)	Alek Thomas: hitting machine or more of a hitting alien, sent from another planet to destroy baseballs? (Leon from Los Angeles)	All I can think of now is Mark McGwire distracting everyone from MLB's data-gathering on that Simpsons episode by hitting a huge dinger. (Darius Austin)
2014-07-11 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Hey Ben! One of the quintessential records of my youth was the rookie HR record set by Mark McGwire in 1987. McGwire even had a white IROC-Z with a 49 IN 87 license plate. I realized this morning that Jose Abreu is currently on pace to break that record. Where does this rate on your scale? (scatterbrian from CA)	It's not insignificant, but it's not appointment viewing. If I were watching a highlight show and they did a live look-in because he was one away from the record, I wouldn't be upset. (Ben Lindbergh)
2013-08-30 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Sure with the PEDs, but some players who used were never all that disdained: be it Marlon Byrd or Andy Pettitte or Mark McGwire and all talent levels in between. A-Rod just seems so universally hated in a way that only Bonds and maybe Clemens reached. (Jim Clancy from Exhibition Stadium)	Yes, the perception certainly has to do with other factors. A-Rod has a long history of saying/doing the wrong/unpopular thing at the wrong time. (Ben Lindbergh)
2013-08-05 14:00:00 (link to chat)	What I don't understand is why this is such a punitive environment? For many PEDs, we have no idea if they are actually PEDs. Wouldn't it make more sense if MLB and MLBPA instead engaged in programs in service to the health of players? To build trust would enable everyone to figure out which supplements are used quickly and figure out if there are any dangerous effects. Let them use PEDs that are safe like advil or caffeine. (Steve from Baltimore, MD)	An interesting premise. I think that it's far easier for the sides to work from, "Let's err on the side of being safe." In other words, it's harder to go backwards on this matter. Look at what occurred with Mark McGwire and Androstenedione. It was banned in the NFL and then after MLB banned it, it loomed over McGwire well before his admission to using other PEDs. I guess the very unscientific answer is, it's messy (Maury Brown About Biogenesis and Business)
2013-03-01 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Following up on steroids, can you envision a steroid regimen coupled with a conditioning program that actually reduced injury risk? Thanks. (Matt from SD, CA)	Absolutely. If a player intelligently configured his intake volume with a balanced conditioning regimen, then he could see huge benefits with respect to injury risk. Known users like Ken Caminiti and Mark McGwire credited steroids with keeping them on the field, moreso than actually hitting home runs. The benefit of feeling 100% every day during the long-haul of a season is a tremendous benefit that should not be underestimated. (Doug Thorburn)
2012-11-28 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Hey Ben, I'm not sure if you noticed but the Hall of Fame ballot this year includes names such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, and Mark McGwire. We hear a lot about should they be in the hall of fame or not, what do you think the writers will do? (Steve G. from Athens, OH)	They're going to vote Bonds and Clemens in eventually, I think--it's much harder to justify an argument that they wouldn't have been Hall of Famers without steroids than it is for Sosa and McGwire, and the Hall is going to have to have the best players ever in it if it wants people to pay to get in. But as that guy in Gladiator says, "Not yet...not yet." (Ben Lindbergh)
2012-01-09 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Will Bagwell make the HOF, or is he done like Mark McGwire? (Demian from Orlando-ish)	He's in much better shape than McGwire, and I expect he will top 50 percent this year, which creates a clear pathway to election, even if it won't be instant. (Jay Jaffe's Hall of Fame Special)
2011-04-05 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Rank these players in their feasibility to enter the MLB Hall of Fame someday: 1. Shoeless Joe Jackson 2. Pete Rose 3. Mark McGwire 4. Barry Bonds 5. Roger Clemens 6. Sammy Sosa 7. Alex Rodriguez (UCBravesKing from Covington, KY)	I think A-Rod before any of the rest, because his usage will be seen as a dalliance and the bulk of his career is so impressive. The same, to a lesser extent, can be said of Clemens and Bonds, but the weight of his usage is so much heavier with the ongoing lawsuits, the Congressional testimony, etc. ALL the steroids candidates will benefit from some moment TBD when we have a better understanding of the impact of steroids on production, because just about everything you see is supposition. (Steven Goldman)
2010-09-29 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Speaking (Kingpin's Q) of Cardinals hitters getting hot or not, how much of the total collapse of non-star hitters in St. Louis this year can be laid at the feet of Mark McGwire? If nearly everybody but Pujols, Holliday and Rasmus that has been on the major-league roster all season is performing at their tenth percentile according to PECOTA (and other measures), why doesn't the hitting coach get targeted as part of the problem? (BillJ from New Mexico)	Too high-profile? Big Mac is probably less replaceable than the typical hitting coach, from a PR perspective, so maybe that buys him some time. I'm not a big believer in the efficacy of firing a hitting coach, when it comes to producing real results on the field (of course, it probably doesn't hurt a whole lot, either). And yeah, Pujols, Holliday, and Rasmus provide pretty good cover. St. Louis has had the 5th-best offense in the NL, according to TAv. (Ben Lindbergh)
2010-07-23 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Where do you rank Jim Thome among possible Hall of Famers? There doesn't seem to be much buzz except from the bees. Care to stir up that nest? (WARPspeedfreak from Headspace)	I certainly think Thome belongs, and so does JAWS, which had him one point ahead of the 1B standard at the outset of the year. Even so, he's well behind Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell, Mark McGwire on the scale, and below Keith Hernandez and Will Clark. Not having an MVP award has led to the perception that he's just an accumulator, and I think he's gonna be a guy whose candidacy gets fought over for little reason. He belongs, though. (Jay Jaffe)
2010-04-01 13:00:00 (link to chat)	The best on-air personality on MLB Network is ... (dianagramr from NYC)	You know, I haven't watched enough to identify one. I've always been a fan of Bob Costas and the interviews he does, though I'm not sure the Mark McGwire thing was his best moment. (Steven Goldman)
2010-02-26 13:00:00 (link to chat)	David, your interviews are among the highlights of BP's site. I especially like the variety of subjects you choose, from retired players and coaches to prospects. Can you name a few living people you'd like to interview someday? Any people who have died since you started this who you regret not covering? (Asinwreck from Chicago, IL)	Thanks. Kind words are always appreciated, to say the least. As for people who died (and, oh yeah, RIP poet/musician Jim Carroll; I was a fan), the one who first comes to mind passed away about a year before I began writing for BP. That was Dick Radatz, who was not only a brilliant closer but a bit of a character and apparently a wonderful man. Much more recently, I never did get a chance to interview, or even meet, Mark Fidrych. I regret that. As for who I'd like to interview, there are certainly many. Talking to Barack Obama about baseball would certainly be enjoyable. Sitting down with Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire to talk hitting -- and only hitting -- would be great (has anyone actually done that before?). I'll be in Ft. Myers in early March, and I'd love to run into Harmon Killebrew and/or Tony Oliva in Twins camp. I want to talk to Darrell Evans. (David Laurila)
2010-02-09 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Do you see any chance that Mark McGwire comes back and picks up at least a few ABs this year? (MarinerDan from SF)	Not after all of the controversy that's surrounded him this winter. The country would grind to a halt on the day he was activated, as all of the BBWAA's soapbox derby champions would begin sermonizing on the great evils of not confessing in exactly the manner in which you've been told to confess. (Jay Jaffe)
2010-01-19 15:30:00 (link to chat)	Not to beat a dead horse but the steroids discussion is really frustrating. The point isn't whether the steroids did any good, or whether the decision by the government or baseball to ban them was arbitrary. The use of HGH, anabolics, etc. was illegal. Full stop. Say I'm running a marathon. The course layout is by definition arbitrary. Heck, ALL the rules in a sport are "arbitrary". That doesn't mean it's OK for me to run a different course than the other entrants - even if I could argue later that I gained no advantage from it. Cheating is cheating. Watching people rationalize it just drives me up the wall. If you want to criticize writers, managers, owners, etc. for not saying or doing anything about it in the 90s but moralizing now, that's fine. But Mark McGwire and crew don't deserve ANY sympathy at all. They knew it was wrong. Frankly, merely having their reputations tarnished is getting off easy. (gecko1 from cupertino, ca)	I agree with you, Gecko. They did something that was against the rules. Yet, people do that all the time, don't they? They speed. They park in the handicapped spot. They smoke where it says "no smoking." They pay the children's menu price for their kids when the kids are over 12. They cheat on their taxes. They buy stocks on insider tips. Batters erase the batters' box lines and load their bats. Runners go out of the baselines. Fielders make phantom tags. Pitchers have balk moves, or cut the ball. Granted, not all these things are equal, but there are degrees of breaking the rules. We don't run our world in a way that you're either okay or you're committing murder. So you're right, you're right, you're right -- so if the PEDs didn't really do that much enhancing, what level of dudgeon do you think is really appropriate? (Steven Goldman)
2010-01-14 16:00:00 (link to chat)	Stats and records have long been the backbone of baseball fandom. How can we reconcile that with the new age of "cheating" and potentially the whole record book being ambiguous? No cliched, "cheating in baseball has gone on forever" please. This stuff is different and will only progress. Sophisticated artificial body parts are a natural progression down the line. (bobbailey from Canada)	I guess I come at this from a different angle. Mark McGwire* was anointed a cultural hero, and it turns out he's a cheat. Yes, this makes the record book ambiguous and messy, but no matter what, the numbers happened. My question is why is it only an outrage when a player in the record book or on the doorstep of the Hall of Fame cheats. There were a bunch of players named in the Mitchell Report and a good number of them were inconsequential. Where's the outrage over the allegations about Glenallen Hill* or Ricky Bones? The steroid controversy isn't about the players or the records themselves. It's about the fact that our culture got caught with its pants down picking heroes by how many home runs he hit. And that's a stupid way to pick heroes. (Russell A. Carleton)*
2010-01-12 18:30:00 (link to chat)	Mark McGwire: "I took steroids" The rest of known world: "Really?" (JimmyJack from What if they had a war and nobody came?)	I figure this will be a popular subject so I'll give my brief take now and maybe answer some more later, but to be perfectly honest, and this is not an attempt to just take a contrarian view, but I simply don't care. I remember being a 13-yr old baseball fanatic in 1998 and watching the McGwire-Sosa race was some of the most fun I've ever had as a fan. What McGwire did and what Sosa may have done doesn't change that for me. (Eric Seidman)
2010-01-06 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Surprised at the vote? (Tim from Tampa)	Surprised but not terribly so. My conclusion to today's piece: So with the business of the pitchers concluded, we add Bert Blyleven to the ranks of Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Mark McGwire, Tim Raines, and Alan Trammell on the JAWS 2010 ballot. With the voting results scheduled be announced later today (Wednesday), I wouldn't be at all surprised if that slate draws a blank while Andre Dawson gets in, though I do think Alomar has a decent shot (early returns suggest reasons for optimism) and Blyleven may be nearing the tipping point. (Jay Jaffe)
2010-01-06 13:00:00 (link to chat)	I'd call this good news for Bert. I was worried he'd stagnate around 62%. do you have the % of the vote for Edgar, Raines and Barry? They don't have it on espn.com. Thanks. (collins from greenville nc)	539 ballots, five blanks, Andre Dawson 420 (77.9%), Bert Blyleven 400 (74.2%), Roberto Alomar 397 (73.7%), Jack Morris 282 (52.3%), Barry Larkin 278 (51.6%), Lee Smith 255 (47.3%), Edgar Martinez 195 (36.2%), Tim Raines 164 (30.4%), Mark McGwire 128 (23.7%), Alan Trammell 121 (22.4%), Fred McGriff 116 (21.5%), Don Mattingly 87 (16.1%), Dave Parker 82 (15.2%), Dale Murphy 63 (11.7%), Harold Baines 33 (6.1%), Andres Galarraga 22 (4.1%), Robin Ventura 7 (1.3%), Ellis Burks 2 (0.4%), Eric Karros 2 (0.4%), Kevin Appier 1 (0.2%), Pat Hentgen 1 (0.2%), David Segui 1 (0.2%), Mike Jackson 0, Ray Lankford 0, Shane Reynolds 0, Todd Zeile 0. Segui gets his vote. Baines remains on life support thanks to the persistence of a stubborn few. Karros receives more votes than he had All-Star appearances. (Jay Jaffe)
2009-12-01 13:00:00 (link to chat)	A softball to get you started: Who would be on your Hall of Fame ballot this year? (Bill from New Mexico)	Holdovers: Tim Raines, Bert Blyleven and Mark McGwire. For newbies, Barry Larkin and maybe Robbie Alomar, though I'm iffy enough on that one that I don't even remember if I'm for or against him at present. Just as a "I liked this guy, and I want to vote for him" kind of deal, and not because I think they should get in, I would toss a vote to Robin Ventura and Ellis Burks. The good news is that Ray Lankford is finally on the ballot, so if he doesn't get 5% of the vote I can see if I can get him to write a foreword for "The Ray Lankford Wing of the Hall of Fame: Book Edition" without him feeling snubbed someday. (Marc Normandin)
2009-08-04 14:00:00 (link to chat)	How is a guy nicknamed Walrus going to cover the vast foul territory at the infield corners in Oakland? (ashitaka from long beach, ca)	To be fair, Mark McGwire wasn't exactly known for cat-like swiftness. Nor, at the end, was Carney Lansford. That said, I've not seen Wallace play live, and television's a lousy way to judge whether a guy moves around well to cover foul territory. (Christina Kahrl)
2009-07-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Some friends and I recently had a discussion about Mark McGwire's Hall of Fame candidacy. I was of the feeling that - excluding the steroid factor - his body of work was that of shoe-in inductee. Perhaps he was not an inner circle HOF'er, but certainly a strong addition. Would you concur? (chunkstyle from Toronto)	His home run totals and other accomplishments suggest he'd be a shoe-in, and his overall JAWS case is strong enough that he'd rate as an above-average HOF first baseman. The problem is that it's impossible for voters to exclude the steroid factor, and I think they'll make an example of him for his entire 15-year run on the ballot. Which is pretty pathetic, given the writers' role in allowing the steroid boom to happen under their noses without doing any real reporting. Just remember the way they shunned the guy who found the Andro in his locker for a lesson in total hypocrisy. (Jay Jaffe)
2009-04-10 16:30:00 (link to chat)	Hey CK! Just counting down hours until my flight up to Oakland for Opening Night. So far this season, A's hitters seem to really be focusing on going up the middle and to the opposite field. Is this early-season noise, or a product of new hitting coach Jim Skaalen? (ashitaka from long beach, ca)	Hope you have a great time at the ballpark; I know it's not really the same thing now that the Coliseum's been mauled beyond recognition, but I sort of feel about the A's home park the way some Mets fans feel about Shea--sure, it's a pit, but it's our pit. I don't think we can put this on Skaalen just yet; this isn't quite like Rick Burleson jumping on Mark McGwire to hit singles to right, and getting the single worst season of Mac's career for his troubles. It's important to keep in mind the talent that's on this year's roster, never mind that we don't have Emil Brown to kick around any more. Adding hitters like Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra gives you a lineup with people who put the ball in play a lot more often than those of us who still treasure the memories of watching Olmedo Saenz or Matt Stairs or Ben Grieve (at his best) taking their cuts. (Christina Kahrl)
2009-01-29 13:00:00 (link to chat)	What do you make of Matt Holliday's comments about Bobby Crosby swinging the bat well after work out with Mark McGwire? Do the A's still bring in Cabrera (costing them a 2nd round pick) or just go with some combination of Crosby, Pennington, and Petit? (Dave from Chicago)	I'll believe it when I see it. That's not to say I don't trust Holliday, it's just that you hear those kinds of stories all the time, and people seem to still be willing to give Crosby the benefit of the doubt. I don't think Cabrera is worth the pick. Maybe the A's should just call the Cubs, and send over one of their non-prospects in exchange for another middle infielder they don't want to use. (Marc Normandin)
2008-01-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Joe, what's your stance on Mark McGwire's candidacy? The writers seem to have really taken a hard-line with him - do you think this will bleed over into the Palmiero/Sosa/Bonds etc candidacies down the road? Or does Big Mac make it in after being properly "chastised" by the self-annointed guardians? (sabotlt from A's Country)	He's gotten my vote the past two seasons, and he'll get my vote the next 13. His lack of forward momentum this year surprised me, although it my be that the timing of the Mitchell Report hurt him, keeping "PEDS ZOMG!!!" in the forefront of voters' minds. It really bugs me that the same people who had all the freaking access in the world in "the steroid era," and who hold up their organization as being about access for reporters, have the gall to now say "shucks, we didn't know," and at the same time act as judge and jury on the guys they didn't have the balls to cover honestly when they were active. It's not having it both ways. It's having it about four different ways. Call me when they decide to not give out a Spink Award for a decade. (Joe Sheehan)
2008-01-08 14:00:00 (link to chat)	my prediction: Goose in. Rice misses by an extremely small margin. Much, much bleating commences over the voters who submitted blanks to protest roids users, thus depriving the "deserving" pre-roids slugger. (TomH from Lexington Park MD)	The Goose is Loose! He gets 85.8 percent, and he's the only one who gets in on this ballot. Rice falls just shy at 72.2 percent, setting him up for a 15th-year push. Raines 24.3 percent. Oh is that ugly. Player Total Votes Percentage Rich Gossage 466 85.8% Jim Rice 392 72.2% Andre Dawson 358 65.9% Bert Blyleven 336 61.9% Lee Smith 235 43.3% Jack Morris 233 42.9% Tommy John 158 29.1% Tim Raines 132 24.3% Mark McGwire 128 23.6% Alan Trammell 99 18.2% Dave Concepcion 88 16.2% Don Mattingly 86 15.8% Dave Parker 82 15.1% Dale Murphy 75 13.8% Harold Baines 28 5.2% Rod Beck 2 0.4% Travis Fryman 2 0.4% Robb Nen 2 0.4% Shawon Dunston 1 0.2% Chuck Finley 1 0.2% David Justice 1 0.2% Chuck Knoblauch 1 0.2% Todd Stottlemyre 1 0.2% Jose Rijo 0 0% Brady Anderson 0 0% (Jay Jaffe)

BP Roundtables

Date	Roundtable Name	Comment
2010-04-05 09:30:00	Season Opener Roundtable	Mark McGwire sure looks strange with a gray goatee. (Clay Davenport)
2009-11-02 17:00:00	2009 WS Game Five	I was thinking Mark McGwire. (Dan Malkiel)
2009-10-16 13:00:00	NLCS Game Two/ALCS Game One	And back to the well for another one which Steve already touched upon... Toni (Oakland, CA): (not about this game) Jay I've been thinking a lot about the 1989 A's (20 year anniversary of Loma Prieta) and do you see any of the players from that team making the HoF outside of Rickey? Dave Parker maybe? And do you think Mark McGwire ever get in? Well, Dennis Eckersley is already in. Parker - I don't see it. His candidacy is like the canned goods at the Kwik-E-Mart: maybe the official expiration date hasn't been reached yet, but everyone's made up their minds pretty firmly on the subject. McGwire, I think, will eventually be there. It may take 30 years of genetic mutant 80 homer a year guys, and a 20-part Barbara Walters interview, but i think eventually the voters will have enough perspective to tackle the steroids issue with a bit more rationality than they can muster these days. (Jay Jaffe)