With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2013, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.
There are twenty four men on the ballot for the first time this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2013 menu at the top of the page.
In this article, we take a look at Craig Biggio
After a 20 year career that featured seven all star appearances, the lifetime Astro will be featured on the Hall Of Fame ballot for the first time. He would notch a silver slugger award as a catcher and four more as a second baseman. He rounded out his offensive prowess with three Gold Glove Awards in his career.
| Year | Tm | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | HOU | 50 | 123 | 14 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 29 | .211 | .254 | .350 | .603 | 75 |
| 1989 | HOU | 134 | 443 | 64 | 114 | 21 | 2 | 13 | 60 | 21 | 49 | 64 | .257 | .336 | .402 | .738 | 114 |
| 1990 | HOU | 150 | 555 | 53 | 153 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 42 | 25 | 53 | 79 | .276 | .342 | .348 | .689 | 93 |
| 1991 | HOU | 149 | 546 | 79 | 161 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 19 | 53 | 71 | .295 | .358 | .374 | .731 | 113 |
| 1992 | HOU | 162 | 613 | 96 | 170 | 32 | 3 | 6 | 39 | 38 | 94 | 95 | .277 | .378 | .369 | .747 | 118 |
| 1993 | HOU | 155 | 610 | 98 | 175 | 41 | 5 | 21 | 64 | 15 | 77 | 93 | .287 | .373 | .474 | .847 | 131 |
| 1994 | HOU | 114 | 437 | 88 | 139 | 44 | 5 | 6 | 56 | 39 | 62 | 58 | .318 | .411 | .483 | .893 | 138 |
| 1995 | HOU | 141 | 553 | 123 | 167 | 30 | 2 | 22 | 77 | 33 | 80 | 85 | .302 | .406 | .483 | .889 | 142 |
| 1996 | HOU | 162 | 605 | 113 | 174 | 24 | 4 | 15 | 75 | 25 | 75 | 72 | .288 | .386 | .415 | .801 | 120 |
| 1997 | HOU | 162 | 619 | 146 | 191 | 37 | 8 | 22 | 81 | 47 | 84 | 107 | .309 | .415 | .501 | .916 | 143 |
| 1998 | HOU | 160 | 646 | 123 | 210 | 51 | 2 | 20 | 88 | 50 | 64 | 113 | .325 | .403 | .503 | .906 | 139 |
| 1999 | HOU | 160 | 639 | 123 | 188 | 56 | 0 | 16 | 73 | 28 | 88 | 107 | .294 | .386 | .457 | .843 | 114 |
| 2000 | HOU | 101 | 377 | 67 | 101 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 35 | 12 | 61 | 73 | .268 | .388 | .393 | .780 | 93 |
| 2001 | HOU | 155 | 617 | 118 | 180 | 35 | 3 | 20 | 70 | 7 | 66 | 100 | .292 | .382 | .455 | .838 | 111 |
| 2002 | HOU | 145 | 577 | 96 | 146 | 36 | 3 | 15 | 58 | 16 | 50 | 111 | .253 | .330 | .404 | .734 | 88 |
| 2003 | HOU | 153 | 628 | 102 | 166 | 44 | 2 | 15 | 62 | 8 | 57 | 116 | .264 | .350 | .412 | .763 | 96 |
| 2004 | HOU | 156 | 633 | 100 | 178 | 47 | 0 | 24 | 63 | 7 | 40 | 94 | .281 | .337 | .469 | .806 | 105 |
| 2005 | HOU | 155 | 590 | 94 | 156 | 40 | 1 | 26 | 69 | 11 | 37 | 90 | .264 | .325 | .468 | .792 | 104 |
| 2006 | HOU | 145 | 548 | 79 | 135 | 33 | 0 | 21 | 62 | 3 | 40 | 84 | .246 | .306 | .422 | .727 | 84 |
| 2007 | HOU | 141 | 517 | 68 | 130 | 31 | 3 | 10 | 50 | 4 | 23 | 112 | .251 | .285 | .381 | .666 | 71 |
| 20 Yrs | 2850 | 10876 | 1844 | 3060 | 668 | 55 | 291 | 1175 | 414 | 1160 | 1753 | .281 | .363 | .433 | .796 | 112 | |
| 162 Game Avg. | 162 | 618 | 105 | 174 | 38 | 3 | 17 | 67 | 24 | 66 | 100 | .281 | .363 | .433 | .796 | 112 | |
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||||||
Why He Should Get In
A versatile player, Biggio was an All Star as a catcher and a second baseman. His offensive numbers are on par with what Hall Of Fame voters tend to recognize. With over 3,000 hits and over 400 stolen bases as well as over 1100 runs batted in, he has solidified himself as worthy of a bronze plaque in the halls of Cooperstown.
Why He Should Not Get In
He may have held on a bit too long in an effort to get the numbers that he needed to in order to reach the hall. While he may have held on too long, he was far from an embarassment to his career. Biggio is as close to a first ballot hall of famer as you will find.
Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
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