KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) – Jeff Bagwell is dealing with the reality that his days of being a 40-homer hitter are probably behind him.

Age and injury caught up to the Houston Astros first baseman last season and he only managed 27 home runs – the first time since 1995 Bagwell didn’t smack at least 30.

He is now 36 and knows he’s not the physically gifted player he once was, but Bagwell and the Astros are OK with that as long as he can adjust.

“When you get older, you’ve got to make changes,” said Bagwell, forced to alter his swing because of a nagging shoulder injury. “The game has changed around us. Obviously I’m not as strong as I used to be.”

Bagwell hit 39 home runs and drove in 100 runs in 2003, but his RBI total dropped to 89 last season. His batting average also fell to .266, the lowest of his 14-year major league career.

He rebounded in the final two months of last season, driving in 38 runs to help Houston rallied from a huge second-half deficit to win the NL Wild Card.

“He may not put up big home run totals anymore, but Baggy doesn’t have to hit 40 home runs for us to win,” Astros manager Phil Garner said. “I’ll take 10 home runs from him and a lot more runs driven in to win ballgames.”

Bagwell, a former University of Hartford star, has had three 40-homer seasons and has driven in more than 120 runs five times. He is just four home runs away from 450 in his career.

Last Thursday, the first day position players reported to the team’s spring training facility, Bagwell stepped out of character and spent extra time in the batting cage.

“I’m not a big fan of the cage,” Bagwell said. “But I really have to work hard this year to eliminate some of the flaws I have in my mechanics, stuff I used to get away with in the past.”

Houston hitting instructor Gary Gaetti kept an eye on Bagwell as he took extra swings.

“I just think he felt as if there were some things that caused him some problems last year,” Gaetti said. “He has a very unorthodox stance, and there’s a little more complicity there in the things he needs to do. We’re going to work through it. The bottom line is, the guy knows how to hit. I’m not worried about Baggy at all.”

Garner remembers Bagwell’s first spring with Houston, in 1991, and was impressed with his workout regimen. Because of the shoulder injury, Bagwell has had to forgo such training sessions.

“He’ll wisely make the adjustments,” Garner said. “It won’t happen overnight, but he’ll make it.”