That Was Then, This Is Now : Baseball: Jeff Bagwell was unanimous choice for National League MVP last season, but so far he’s just average this year.

Jeff Bagwell knew he had a tough act to follow, trying to repeat his MVP performance of 1994. But he never expected this--hitting .188 a month into the season.

Although he has shown signs in recent games of breaking out of his slump, the Houston Astro first baseman still hasn’t regained the form that made him the National League’s unanimous MVP last season.

“What happens when you have problems is you want to get a hit so bad that you get anxious,” Bagwell said. “You try to hit the ball before it gets out of the pitcher’s hands.”

Bagwell hit .368 during the strike-abbreviated 1994 season and led the league with 104 runs and 116 RBIs. He joined Orlando Cepeda in 1967 and Mike Schmidt in 1980 as the only NL players to earn unanimous votes for MVP.

He became the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to finish first or second in his league in average, runs, RBI and homers. He hit 39 home runs in 1994, almost doubling the 20 he hit in 1993.

But Bagwell has struggled this season, despite taking extra batting practice before and after games.

“I promise you that no one will work harder than Jeff Bagwell to get out of a slump,” Houston manager Terry Collins said. “He’s working too hard not to come out of it sooner or later.”

General Manager Bob Watson speculated that Bagwell could be pressing because of the $27.5 million contract he signed in December. Bagwell will earn $6 million per year through 1998.

“You look at many of the stars their first 30-40 at-bats after they sign a big contract,” Watson said. “They all were trying to do too much, trying to show everybody they were worth their contract. When he relaxes and just goes out and plays, he’ll come out of it. There’s nothing wrong with him other than he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself.”

Bagwell doesn’t agree with that explanation.

“When this whole thing started, I wasn’t thinking about my big contract and trying to hit a home run every time,” Bagwell said. “It’s just that I have high expectations for myself.

“I don’t care about being MVP or big contracts. I expect certain things out of Jeff Bagwell and when I’m not doing that it gets a little frustrating.”

Bagwell got two singles and hit a long fly to right in Sunday’s home finale before the Astros started a three-game road trip to Cincinnati.

“I feel more comfortable in the box,” Bagwell said. “I’m not taking extra BP now. There comes a point in a slump like this where you forget about where your hands are or your feet and just get in the box and let’s go.”

Bagwell has an awkward-looking wide stance at the plate but no one is suggesting a change.

“Why would he want to change that?” Watson said. “That’s what got him a .368 and 39 homers and all those numbers he put up last year. I would be grossly opposed to him changing the stance.”

Bagwell doesn’t plan any such change.

“The best advice I ever got was, ‘Don’t fix something that’s not broken,’ ” Bagwell said. “I’ve had this stance since I was a freshman in college because it’s comfortable. It’s been good for me before and it will be again.”