Besides being known as one of the most skilled teams in MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays also seem to have a thing for legacies. Cavan Biggio is one of the three Blue Jays players to have a famous MLB dad. Sports fanatics may recall Biggio Sr.’s 20-season career with the Houston Astros, where he broke records and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. Now, Craig Biggio is finding his way in the world of professional baseball, hoping he can live up to his father’s impressive reputation.
A Family Divided
It’s natural for a dad to cheer on his child from the stands as he hits his first home run. But what if the dad is loyal to both the hitter and the opposing team? That’s what happened when Cavan Biggio hit the first home run of his professional career in a game against the Houston Astros. Cavan Biggio’s team, the Toronto Blue Jays, went on to win the game with a score of 8-4.
Craig Biggio is, of course, loyal to his son. However, he also spent 20 years of his own professional baseball career with the Houston Astros. While Biggio Sr. no longer plays for the Astros or MLB, he has worked with the team’s general manager over the last few years.
The fact that Cavan Biggio hit his first home run at Minute Maid Park was also nostalgic. He has the skill, and it could have happened at any of MLB’s parks, but this one was special to Cavan. Minute Maid Park in Downtown Houston, Texas, is the same park where he spent summers as a child, watching his dad pursue his professional baseball dreams.
Who Is Craig Biggio?
Before understanding who Cavan Biggio is as a player, it’s important to know where he came from. It has been almost 15 years since Craig Biggio called it quits and retired from a 20-year career. Biggio spent his full professional baseball career with the Houston Astros, where he played second baseman, outfielder, and catcher. In his career, he collected seven National League All-Star awards and a Silver Slugger Award. He also became the first player to receive an All-Star Award and Silver Slugger Award for both catcher and second base positions.
To this day, Craig Biggio is considered one of the best all-around players for the Houston Astros. He still holds records, like most career games, hits, doubles, and total bases. He is one of only five players in the National League to have 250 home runs and 400 steals. He has won the Gold Glove Award a total of four times. He also won the Hutch Award in 2005 and the Roberto Clemente Award in 2007. Craig Biggio officially made it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Houston Astros have also since retired Craig Biggio’s jersey number 7. While Biggio Sr. may no longer play professional baseball, his skill still lives on in his sons, Conor and Cavan Biggio.
Who Is Cavan Biggio?
Cavan Biggio was immersed in the world of professional baseball at an early age. He grew up watching his dad play, which inspired his own love of the sport. He played both baseball and football in college but ultimately chose to pursue baseball. Following in his brother Conor’s footsteps, he attended Notre Dame. Today, Cavan Biggio wears jersey number 8, which is one number after his father’s jersey number 7.
Rookie Comparisons
Craig Biggio pursued college-level baseball at Seton Hall University before he was chosen in the first round of the MLB Draft of 1987 as the Houston Astros’ 22nd pick. He didn’t spend long in the minor leagues and was called to play in the big leagues by 1989. He played 50 games in his first season with the Houston Astros and then went on to record 13 home runs and 60 RBIs in his first full season. Craig Biggio won a Silver Slugger Award in his first year of MLB.
Cavan Biggio was chosen in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He spent a few years in the minor league before the Toronto Blue Jays called him up to play in 2019. His rookie year was memorable. He played as a second baseman, where he recorded a total of 16 home runs with a .234 batting average. Cavan also completed his rookie year with a higher on-base percentage because of more walks. Craig Biggio had a total of 49 walks in his first full season, compared to 71 for Cavan.
Cavan Biggio has always had good offensive stats. Even with lower stats for 2022, he has still recorded a 10% clip and has a walk rate of 15% for his career.
Father and Son Duo Hit the Cycle
In his rookie year, Cavan also hit the cycle, which occurs when a player hits a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. This made Cavan Biggio the third-ever Blue Jay to hit the cycle and the first since Jeff Fry in 2001. As one of the most magical moments in the younger Biggio’s career to date, he achieved the feat with his mom looking on from the crowd.
Craig Biggio also hit the cycle in 2002, although it took him longer to do it in his career than Cavan. Almost 17 years after Craig Biggio was able to hit the cycle, Craig Biggio and Cavan Biggio became the second father-son duo in MLB history to accomplish this. All leagues have a hard-to-achieve feat, and for MLB, hitting the cycle is one of them.
Killer B’s vs. Legacy Trio
Cavan Biggio is a part of his own team of baseball greatness. The Toronto Blue Jays “Legacy Trio” is a phrase often used to describe Cavan Biggio, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Bo Bichette. Each of these players has demonstrated exceptional stats at the beginning of their career. But what also makes them similar is the fact that they each come from a baseball great. All three have dads who played in MLB, with two of them recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Craig Biggio was a part of his own group, referred to as the “Killer B’s.” This group included Craig Biggio, Derek Bell, and Jeff Bagwell. From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, the “Killer B’s” dominated the MLB world. Specifically, in terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR), the “Killer B’s” are among the highest-scoring.
Unlike the two other legacy players on the Toronto Blue Jays today, Guerrero and Bichette, you might not immediately recognize the family ties between Craig and Cavan Biggio. Whereas Craig Biggio stands at 5 feet, 11 inches, Cavan Biggio is taller at 6 feet, 2 inches. Both have played the second baseman position, but Craig demonstrated more defensive flexibility.
Cavan is still fresh, and it often shows. Of course, it also doesn’t help that he’s not only living up to the legacy of his Hall of Famer father, but he is also living up to the comparison of the other legacies on his team. His name is constantly in the media, and whereas rookie stats are often compared against one another, Cavan’s are compared to his father’s.
Other Biggio Baseball Players
Cavan Biggio isn’t the only offspring with baseball in his plans. Cavan’s older brother, Conor, also pursued a career in MLB. He played college-level baseball at Notre Dame before he was chosen by the Houston Astros in the 34th round of the MLB Draft of 2015. Conor Biggio has since left MLB, at least as a player. He now works for MLB in baseball operations and labor relations. Cavan and Conor have a sister, Quinn, who also has a love for baseball. She currently plays softball for Notre Dame.
What’s Next for Craig Biggio and Cavan Biggio?
At the end of the 2021 season, Cavan Biggio was moved from second base to third. He has struggled in the 2022 season with a recent illness and declining stats. As of 2022, he was recently optioned back to the Triple-A league. He’s currently training and has yet to appear in a Buffalo Bisons game.
That leaves the future of Cavan Biggio uncertain. But with the skill of Craig Biggio in his genes and the fact that he has demonstrated he has what it takes for the major leagues, many fans expect to see him back on the field at Rogers Centre soon. However, there have also been hopes of him joining other teams, including the Baltimore Orioles.
Craig Biggio may no longer play on the field, but he’s still a part of training with the Astros. His legacy also still lives on in his two sons, and if he can find his gameplay, Cavan Biggio could potentially end up being just as good as his father. While Cavan Biggio is commonly referred to as “Craig Biggio’s son,” he hopes to achieve his own stats and records so he can create a name for himself.
Cavan Biggio still has a whole MLB career ahead of him. Sports fans can show their Biggio pride with officially licensed sports apparel from Fanatics, either in his No. 8 jersey or with the Toronto Blue Jays logo. Craig Biggio fans can celebrate his recent induction into the Hall of Fame with sports collectibles and memorabilia. Signed baseball cards by the legend himself are sure to be an item to treasure for years.
