MLB: Which former players will get the Hall of Fame call?

Craig Biggio (.281 BA, 414 SB, 1,160 BB, 3,060 Hits)

Biggio fell an excruciatingly two votes short of induction to the Hall last year. In his career, he played three of the most demanding positions on the field — catcher, second base, and center field.

The case for induction: Biggio has an impressive resume for induction. He played in parts of twenty seasons. His 3,060 hits rank 21st all-time; he reached base 4,505 times, which ranks him 18th; he has 1,844 runs scored, which is 15th; his 4,711 total bases rank him 33rd; and his 1,989 defensive appearances at second base rank him 14th.

The hits total is a key to Biggio’s induction. Of the twenty-eight members of the 3,000-hit club, only Biggio, Pete Rose, Derek Jeter and Rafael Palmeiro are not in the Hall. Of course, Rose is ineligible, Jeter just retired and Palmeiro is a PED user so he may never make it in, so things look good for Biggio on his third time on the ballot.

Case against induction: Perhaps the biggest reason for Biggio’s numbers is that he hung around for twenty years. Also, he lacks the Hall-worthy peak of his career. In his prime, between 1993-1998, he twice finished in the top-five for MVP voting. He did not have the type of dominance that most Hall of Famers had in their careers.

Decision: The numbers that Biggio recorded, even if made over twenty years, is too impressive to ignore. There are plenty of players who reached the twenty-year plateau who did not come close to the numbers he had. Also, the fact that he did all that while playing three demanding positions also helps support his case. He should be celebrating tomorrow.

Next: Mike Piazza