Biggio: A True Hall-of-Famer

In the first round of the 1987 draft, the Houston Astros took a 5'11", 21-year-old catcher named Craig Alan Biggio from Seton Hall University with the 22nd overall pick. Just over a year later, Biggio made his Major League debut and hit .211 with three home runs and five RBI's in only 50 games, hardly anything to be excited about. However, it wouldn't take long for this underdog to become a favorite in Houston. In 1989, his first full season as a starter, Biggio hit .257 with 13 homers and 60 RBI to win the Silver Slugger award as the best hitter among National League catchers. He also stole 21 bases, just another example of his highly touted versatility.

Twenty years later, he still knows how to put on a good show.

Tuesday night in Houston, after announcing his retirement at the end of the season, he gave the fans another reason to cheer about. He went 2-for-4 with a Grand Slam in the bottom of the 6th inning as the Astros defeated the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-4. After receiving a standing ovation before his first at-bat, he drew thunderous applause after his two-out shot to left field off Dodgers' reliever Rudy Seanez, and honored the fans with a curtain call. The grand slam broke a 3-3 tie and put the Astros ahead to stay.

In the team's official blog, Biggio gave the following statement for the Astros' fans: "I think I said at the beginning of this year that this season was all about my family and the fans. The fans have been great to me. I tried to play the game the right way, and I believe I did. You have been so supportive of me, and I want to thank you for 20 unbelievable seasons. For me, it's definitely been a storybook career."

And now, after 20 years in professional baseball and approximately 2800 games played -- all with the same team -- Craig Biggio is ready to hang up his well-worn spikes. Given the numbers this beloved Houston stalwart has achieved, there are some that dare not give this man his due as a surefire Hall of Fame candidate. In Biggio's defense, consider this: not only is Biggio the leading active player with 3,016 hits, he is also the first and only player in Major League history to record over 3,000 hits, 1,000 runs scored, 600 doubles, 250 home runs, 1,000 RBI's, 1,000 walks and 400 stolen bases. Barry Bonds hasn't done it; Alex Rodriguez hasn't done it; not even Ken Griffey, Jr. has done it. It can be argued that A-Rod eventually will at the pace he is going at this point in his career, but Biggio should get the respect he deserves as the first.

Other reasons to consider him worthy of Cooperstown: five Silver Slugger awards, four Gold Gloves, seven All-Star games and a number one ranking among all active players in at-bats, hits, singles, doubles, and being hit by a pitch. Only Bonds has played in more games, scored more runs, and reached base more times, and joins Kenny Lofton as the only active players with more stolen bases than Biggio. The closest players to tying his 413 steals are 40-year-old Omar Vizquel (375) and Juan Pierre (366). Among those his career stats compare to: Robin Yount, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan, Paul Molitor, Lou Whitaker, Cal Ripken, and Brooks Robinson. Talk about being in good company.

If you want to talk about defense, he makes just as interesting a case. Over the span of his career he played 427 games as a catcher, 1948 games as a second baseman (after being moved from his catcher spot), and 363 games as an outfielder (after being moved there from second base), recording a combined .985 fielding percentage. That number is impressive for playing one position, much less three. However, the most important number in this instance is zero; the number of times he complained. When another player was given his starting position and he was thrust into another role, he accepted it graciously for the good of the team, and he played on teams that won two Wild Cards, four NL Central Division Championships and the 2005 National League Pennant.

Though he came close to winning a World Series, he never thought to leave Houston to join another team that was more of a contender. He stayed with Houston and worked to make them a contender. He handled all aspects of his career with class and harbored no bitterness or ill feelings toward the Astros organization at any time. He could've haggled for more money or shopped the free agent market to sell his services to the highest bidder, but he stayed loyal to Houston. With the ongoing steroid investigation and Major League Baseball's banning of amphetamines, never once was Biggio's named implicated in any banned substance discussion.

From the Astrodome to Minute Maid Park, from the days of the Killer B's to the landing of "The Rocket" in the home of NASA, Craig Biggio is a player that has transcended time and place. He is one of the best, classiest, and most selfless players of his era. He's a true throwback, substance over style; a Studebaker in a room full of Bentleys and Ferraris. And hopefully one day in 2012, when he's eligible to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he'll be recognized as not only one of baseball's best players ever, but also as one of its best men; a guy who played the game well and played it the right way; the ultimate team player.

In times like these of cheating, greed and selfishness, there isn't anyone who deserves it more.