Is Craig Biggio Really a Hall of Famer?
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by user Tyduffy
Craig Biggio pretty much locked up his hall of fame nomination yesterday, with an impressive 5 hit effort that brough his hit total to that magical number of 3,000. The number alone, whatever its actual significance, will assure him entry, but is Biggio really one of the game's all-time greats?
The first place to start is the numbers. At the peak of his career from 1993-1999, Biggio was arguably the best 2B in the game (Roberto Alomar not withstanding). In this period on average, he could generally be counted on to hit about .300, have about a .400 OBP, hit 15-20 HR, drive in 70-80 runs, and steal 30-40 baseas. In those seven seasons, it was clear that he was a very very good player.
In this century, he changed as a player. His power numbers actually increased, three straight 20+ HR seasons from 2004-2006, but his batting average, on base percentage, and speed declined sharply. During the last two seasons, he appears to have been only hanging on to get the record, as he dropped to 10th among NL 2nd Basemen in OPS in 2006 and is currently 11th in 2007. His most notewoth statistic, besides the hits, is the number of times he stepped into was hit by a pitch.
As Jayon Stark mentions in his ESPN article, it's "not the numbers" that put Biggio in the Hall of Fame. His candidacy rests on a number of intangibles. He played twenty years for the same franchise in Houston, never filing for free agency. He played three different difficult defensive positions (C, 2B, CF). His white skin and pleasant demeanor have not hurt his reputation as a scrappy team leader type player.
Though Stark intends to portray Biggio as one of the all-time greats, he also unintentionally portrays the argument against him. The only argument that he comes up with for Biggio's inclusion in the Hall of Fame is his 3,000 hits and those who are not on that list. He compares him to other second basemen, most notably Joe Morgan who doesn't have 3,000 hits, but would anybody seriously consider Biggio the superior hitter? (Or for that matter do his hits put him ahead of Mantle, Ruth, and Williams who did not have 3,000 hits?) Besides that number and him being a good guy, there doesn't appear to be much of an argument for his inclusion to the Hall of Fame.
Another argument is that Biggio's true significance is underappreciated because he doesn't play for the Yankees. It is a fair point. If he had played for the Yankees, he probably would have been a much bigger star. But, then again, if he had played for the Yankees he probably would not have been allowed to stay in the every day lineup when he was far past his prime, at a detriment to his team, to chase 3,000 hits.
He also never won a World Series, appearing in only one in 2005, in which he was far past his prime and a peripheral figure, at least numbers-wise, in the team's success. If his greatness is "not in the numbers" where has it manifested itself?
The argument is moot. Unless a huge steroids scandal comes out in the next five years, Biggio will probably be voted first ballot into the Hall of Fame. He was an all-star caliber player for a number of years. He was a great ambassador for the game. If viewed as a career Second Basemen, his offensive production was stellar. However, throw in a couple of hypotheticals. If he retires in 2005 (his last effective season) over 200 hits short of 3,000, does he get into the Hall of Fame. If he was black and complained about his contract, does he get into the Hall of Fame? If he changed teams does he get into the Hall of Fame?
He probably still gets in under those circumstances, but with nowhere near the fanfare and probably not on the first ballot. Biggio was a very good player for a number of years. He should be in the Hall of Fame, but on the Winfield or Molitor level not the Ruth one. To call him "among the best there ever was" is a crock.
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BUT, he put the career together, he was a doubles machine and he accumulated them all with sheer will and effort.
Yes, the Hall of Fame should be exclusive, BUT as much as it pains me to say it, he's better than a LOT of dudes already in...
Congrats to Craig Biggio, it's not just 3,000, or the fact that he hung on to get it... as much as it makes me want to punch myself, he's a HoFer...
Besides, Kelsdad, this guy (as a 2nd baseman) is the barometer to keeping Roberto Alomar OUT of the HoF!!!