Craig Biggio was drafted in 1987 as a catcher. He became the first Astros catcher to ever be named to the National League All-Star team in 1991 but during that season former General Manager Bill Wood told me that he and others in the organization felt like Biggio's future was at 2nd base.

Biggio possessed that rare combination at the catcher position. He had an adequate arm ....and was a good receiver at the position...but offensively he was off the charts great. He hit for average ...had occasional power and possessed great speed. The problem was though ... as Wood saw it .... he would lose his speed playing catcher everyday. So in spring training 1992 .... Biggio learned how to play 2nd base. Under the watchful eye of infield coach Matt Galante, Biggio fielded countless groundballs.

All of the hard work paid off ....as in 1992 Biggio became the first major league player ever to be an All-Star at the catcher position one year ....and then make it as a 2nd baseman the next. That I believe is Biggio's most amazing feat. More than the record number of doubles and more than his 3,000 plus career hits.

Biggio has done amazing things on the baseball diamond but this little guy out of Seton Hall ..... who has the heart of a lion ....... accomplished his most amazing feat of all ... when he made back to back All-Star appearances in 1991 and 1992 at two different positions. The switch to 2nd base way back then ..... may have deprived the franchise of it's best catcher ever .... but it also assured Biggio the longevity to make him a very, strong candidate to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.