Cavan Biggio – Running Short of Professional Time

Cavan Biggio was once considered a prospect – a promising, young talent in baseball. The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, Cavan was drafted in 2016 in the 5th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. By 2019, he was the #10 prospect in the organization, and a year later he was called up to the Major Leagues. Unfortunately for Biggio, the early promise has faded.

In the Toronto minor league system, Biggio played for several years alongside future Blue Jays stars Vlad Guerrero, Jr. and Bo Bichette. They did well and by 2019, all three were in Toronto, playing for the big club. While Guerrero and Bichette continued to shine, the wheels soon began to come off for Biggio.

In 2021 and 2022, Biggio spent time in Triple-A, working on his game. Back in Toronto in 2023, he appeared in 111 big league games, with disappointing numbers: .235 average, .340 OBP, .710 OPS. By June 2024, the Blue Jays had seen enough and with Biggio slashing .200/.323/.291, he was designated for assignment on June 7. Five days later, he was traded to the L.A. Dodgers. 

 

Biggio’s major league career statistics are less than impressive. In 520 games and 1846 plate appearances, he has 350 hits, 257 runs, 51 home runs, 186 RBI, and 505 strikeouts (a 27% rate.) His career slash line is .225/.341/.379/.721 – numbers that tend to not inspire the people who decide who plays and who goes home.

 

He didn’t fare any better wearing Dodger blue: in 30 games, he hit a dismal .192, and a .306 OBP with 28 strikeouts in 88 plate appearances. The Dodgers DFA’d him on 8/5 and released him on 8/8. Not long after, Biggio signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants and reported to Triple-A Sacramento. In his first game there he recorded one hit, a walk, and one strikeout in 5 PA’s. 

 

It is, of course, possible that the 29 year-old former Notre Dame player will find his stroke and some success with the Giants organization. Unfortunately for him, time is running short, and if he does get called up to the Giants, they won’t wait long to see if this career .225 hitter can contribute. It doesn’t matter if your Dad is in the Hall of Fame; if you don’t play up to standards, you won’t wear the uniform for long. This could well be Cavan Biggio’s last chance to continue his playing career.

 

Biggio photo: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. He has written 24 books; available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com.

 

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