HOUSTON - Former Hartford Hawks slugger and Houston Astros All-Star first baseman Jeff Bagwell was named the hitting coach of the Astros on Sunday after the team fired former coach Sean Barry. Bagwell spent the entirety of his 15-year Major League career with the Astros, retiring after the 2005 World Series as the club's all-time leader in home runs (449), batting average (.297) and slugging percentage (.540).

"He not only had a great playing career, but I've also been very impressed that he's level-headed and he communicates very well with regard to the game," said Astros' general manager Ed Wade. "We've seen him have an impact with our Minor League hitters."

Since retiring from the playing field, Bagwell has served as a special assistant to Wade in the Astros' front office.

Bagwell played at the University of Hartford from 1987-89, manning third base for the Hawks. When he left the program, he stood as the Hawks' all-time leader in average (.413), runs batted in (126) and homers (31). He remains atop the Hawks' leaderboard in average and slugging percentage (.713).

Bagwell was drafted in the fourth round of the 1989 Major League Draft by the Boston Red Sox. After playing nearly two seasons in the Boston organization, Bagwell was traded to the Houston Astros late in the 1990 season. He made his Major League debut on Opening Day, 1991 at Cincinnati, and earned the National League's Rookie of the Year award with a .294 average, 15 homers and 82 RBIs in his first campaign.

In 1994, Bagwell was named the National League's Most Valuable Player as he nearly became the first player to achieve baseball's triple crown since 1967. He finished the strike-shortened season leading the National League with 116 RBIs and second in the league with a .368 batting average and 39 home runs.

Perhaps his best season, however, was 2000, when he smashed a career-high 47 home runs, driving in 132 while scoring 152 runs. He was the first National Leaguer and just the fifth Major Leaguer ever to hit 45 home runs, drive in 100 runs and score 150 in the same season. The first four to do so were all Baseball Hall of Famers - Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Jimmie Foxx.

Along with teammate Craig Biggio, Bagwell led the Astros to six postseason appearances, including the franchise's first World Series in 2005. Although he played in just 39 games during the regular season due to injuries that year, he saw action in all four Fall Classic games against the Chicago White Sox, going 1-for-8 with a run scored in his final action as a Major Leaguer.

A four-time All-Star, Bagwell went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the 1994 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, an 8-7, 10-inning victory for the National League and the most recent triumph for the Senior Circuit heading into this year's contest.