Craig Biggio (2015)


Date of Birth: 12/14/1965
Birthplace: Smithtown, NY
College: Seton Hall University

Craig Biggio played both football and baseball in high school but he opted for baseball when he decided to attend Seton Hall University. He started as an infielder but was moved to the catcher position while at Seton Hall.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros drafted Biggio in 1987. He played just a short while in the minors, getting his first call up to the Astros in 1988. He played with the Astros for his entire career. He was their catcher from 1988 through 1991, and then was moved to second base, a position he played until he retired.

In 1988, his first season in the majors, Biggio batted .211 with 26 hits in 50 games. He had his first full season in 1989, playing in 134 games. He finished the season with 114 hits, 21 doubles, 13 home runs, 21 stolen bases, and a .257 batting average. He won his first Silver Slugger award that year.

Biggio's batting average improved to .276 in 1990, and it was even better in 1991, when he batted .295 with 161 hits in 149 games. In 1992, he played in a career high 162 games and he showed his speed by stealing 38 bases. The following season, his home run number went to 21. He finished the 1993 season with 175 hits, 41 doubles, 64 RBIs, and a .287 batting average in 155 games.

Biggio won his second Silver Slugger award in 1994, batting .318 with 139 hits, 44 doubles, 39 stolen bases, and 56 RBIs in 114 games. He also won his first Gold Glove award for making 338 assists, 225 putouts, and 7 errors at second base. His third Silver Slugger award and second Gold Glove came the following year. He finished the 1995 season with 167 hits, 30 doubles, 22 home runs, 33 stolen bases, 77 RBIs, and a .302 batting average in 141 games. Defensively, he made 419 assists, 299 putouts, and 10 errors in 141 games.

In 1996 and again in 1997, Biggio played in a career high 162 games. He batted .288 with 174 hits in 1996, and .309 with 191 hits in 1997. He won his third and fourth Gold Gloves those two seasons. In 1996, he made 440 assists, a career high 361 putouts, and 10 errors, and the following year, he made a career high 504 assists, 341 putouts, and 18 errors.

Biggio won his fifth and final Silver Slugger award in 1998. He led all of major league baseball in doubles with 51 and he had career highs in hits (210), stolen bases (50), and batting average (.325). The next year, he again led major league baseball in doubles with a career high of 56. He finished the season with 188 hits, 28 stolen bases, 78 RBIs, and a .294 batting average in 160 games.

In 2000, Biggio had season-ending knee surgery. He finished the season with 101 hits and a .268 batting average in 101 games. He made a good recovery from the surgery and bounced back in 2001, finishing with 180 hits, 35 doubles, 20 home runs, and a .292 batting average in 155 games.

Biggio struggled in 2002, finishing with 146 hits, 36 doubles, and a .253 batting average in 145 games. He improved slightly in 2003, ending the season with 166 hits, 44 doubles, and a .264 batting average in 153 games. He had an even better season in 2004, batting .281 with 178 hits, 47 doubles, and 24 home runs in 156 games.

Biggio had a career high 26 home runs in 2005. He also had 156 hits, 40 doubles, and a .264 batting average in the regular season. He played better in the postseason, batting .295 with 18 hits, 5 doubles, and 5 RBIs in 61 at-bats in 14 games. That year, he played in his first World Series.

Biggio's career slowed down in 2006. That year, he batted just .246 with 135 hits, 33 doubles, and 21 home runs in 145 games. The next season, he became the first Astros' player to get 3,000 hits, doing it on June 28th. He finished the 2007 season with 130 hits, 31 doubles, and a .251 batting average in 141 games. He retired as a major league player after the season ended.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Lou Brock award
  • Branch Rickey award
  • Hutch award
  • Roberto Clemente award
  • Silver Slugger award (5 times)
  • Gold Glove (4 times)
  • Led the NL in doubles (3 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Biggio in 20 seasons (1988-2007) in the major leagues include:

  • 11 seasons of 150 or more games played, with a high of 162 in 1992, 1996, and 1997
  • 13 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 210 in 1998
  • 14 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 56 in 1999
  • 8 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 26 in 2005
  • 5 seasons with 30 or more stolen bases, with a high of 50 in 1998
  • 4 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .325 in 1998

Career batting statistics for Biggio include:

  • 2,850 games played
  • 3,060 hits
  • 668 doubles
  • 291 home runs
  • 414 stolen bases
  • 1,175 RBIs
  • 1,753 strikeouts to 1,160 walks
  • .281 batting average
  • .363 on-base percentage
  • .796 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Biggio as a second baseman include:

  • 1,989 games played
  • 5,448 assists
  • 1,153 double plays
  • 3,992 putouts
  • 156 errors
  • .984 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Biggio include:

  • 6 postseasons
  • 40 games played
  • 167 at-bats
  • 39 hits
  • 9 doubles
  • 2 home runs
  • 2 stolen bases
  • 11 RBIs
  • 30 strikeouts to 13 walks
  • .234 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Biggio was hired in 2008 by the Astros as a special assistant to the general manager.

Biggio was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015 on the third ballot with 82.7% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Craig Biggio
ESPN - Craig Biggio
Baseball Reference - Craig Biggio

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