Craig Biggio 2,942 hits and counting...future HOF...YES

Through April 15, 2007, Biggio leads all active ballplayers in hits (2940), doubles (641) and hits by pitches (282). In career stats he ranks: Hit by pitch (2nd), Doubles (8th), Runs (17th), Games (25th), Hits (30th), Base on Balls (58th) and Stolen Bases (61st).


Highlights

• Is the only player in Major League Baseball history with at least 600 doubles, 2,900 hits, 250 homers and 400 steals.
• Led the majors in runs scored in 1995 and 1997 and in doubles in 1998 and 1999.
• Became one of the few players in baseball history to not hit into a single double play all season in 1997.
• Tops the Astros' career list in games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits, doubles and extra-base hits.
• Holds the record for most regular season games played before his first World Series appearance with 2,564.
• In 1998 became the second player to have 50 stolen bases and 50 doubles in the same season. The only other person to accomplish this is Hall of Famer Tris Speaker.

Awards

All-Star

• 1991 (Catcher)
• 1992 (2nd Base)
• 1994 (2nd Base)
• 1995 (2nd Base)
• 1996 (2nd Base)
• 1997 (2nd Base)
• 1998 (2nd Base)

Biggio is the only player to appear in the All-Star game as a catcher and a 2nd baseman.

Gold Glove

• 1994: National League Gold Glove (2nd Base)
• 1995: National League Gold Glove (2nd Base)
• 1996: National League Gold Glove (2nd Base)
• 1997: National League Gold Glove (2nd Base)

Other Awards

• 1989 NL Silver Slugger Award (C)
• 1994 Baseball America NL All-Star 2B
• 1994 NL Silver Slugger Award (2B)
• 1995 NL Silver Slugger Award (2B)
• 1997 NL Silver Slugger Award (2B)
• 1997 Branch Rickey Award in recognition of his exceptional community service.
• 1998 Houston Astros Player of the Year
• 1998 NL Silver Slugger Award (2B)
• 1998 Baseball America First-Team Major League All-Star 2B
• 2004 Texas Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
• 2004 Texas Sports Hall of Fame inductee
• 2005 Hutch Award (honors baseball great Fred Hutchinson and is given annually to a major-league baseball player who best exemplifies his fighting spirit and competitive desire)
• 2006 Heart and Hustle Award

Probably.

If he gets to 3,000 hits, definitly.

Just wondering also do you think he gets in if he doesnt get to 3000 hits

Probably.

It's hard to tell though.

Two words: Jim Rice.

If he gets 3000 hits which he probably will do I think that helps his case greatly as they like those #'s when voting.

Craig Biggio's career began in 1988 and he's played in every season since then, and leaderboard for career hits from 1988 to 2007 now looks like this:

Craig Biggio - 2,942
Rafael Palmeiro - 2,941
Roberto Alomar - 2,724
Barry Bonds - 2,614
Steve Finley - 2,532

Baseball often seems to run on milestones, and 3000 hits is an undeniably important one, but one of the problems with milestones is that baseball changes over the years. Some people like to segment the years into statistical eras, and some of the more hardcore stats people figure you can compare different seasons across the decades and centuries by simply normalizing everything to the averages of the seasons they occurred in. Simply. And then you have to adjust for the various differences in the ballparks everyone played. That sound simple, right? But if you're a baseball player, and you can look at the years you played and see that no one in baseball had more hits than you, that means something no matter what the "park factors" and changes in yearly averages tells you. Everyone who played in the years you did played by more or less the same rules and against more or less the same competition, so if no one else had more hits than you during the sum of the years you played, you've done something special, and joined a pretty amazing list of overlapping careers that spans back to the beginning of baseball.

Again, 3000 hits is 3000 hits. But Rickey Henderson got 3,055 in his years in the majors, while being out hit by 3 different players. Wade Boggs was out hit by Tony Gwynn during his years, and Tony Gwynn was 2nd to Cal Ripken. On the other hand, Kirby Puckett had just 2,304 hits in only 12 seasons - but that was 52 hits more than anyone else had in those 12 seasons. Similarly Bobby Doerr's career total was only 2,042 but that was still 34 more hits than anyone else had in those 14 seasons Doerr played. There's certainly no shame in 2nd place in this category - 22 of the 28 guys who finished 2nd in hits during the years they played are in the Hall of Fame, and Roberto Alomar's odds are pretty good to make it 23. Along with Gwynn, Boggs, and Alomar, that list includes Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Robin Yount, Rod Carew, Nap Lajoie, Willie Mays, Nellie Fox and Tris Speaker.

Unless Palmeiro makes a comeback and retakes the lead from Biggio, Mr. Astro will retire as the 29th player ever to lead the league in hits during the span of his career, and the first to lead the league in both hits and HBPs during the years he played. Of the other 28, only 5 are not in the Hall of Fame - one because he's banned, one because he hasn't been voted on yet (and tested positive for steroids).

Batters with the most total hits in the seasons they played:

<TABLE border=1><TBODY><TR><TD>Player
</TD><TD>Seasons</TD><TD>Top 5 in those years</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Cal McVey
869
</TD><TD>1871-1879</TD><TD>Cal McVey 869,
Deacon White 845,
George Wright 831,
Cap Anson 780,
Ross Barnes 779</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Cap Anson*
3418
</TD><TD>1871-1897</TD><TD>Cap Anson 3418,
Jim O'Rourke 2642,
Roger Conner 2467,
Dan Brouthers 2296,
Paul Hines 2134</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Jimmy Ryan
2502
</TD><TD>1885-1900, 1902-1903</TD><TD>Jimmy Ryan 2502,
Ed Delahanty 2404,
George Van Haltren 2350,
Jake Beckley 2323,
Jesse Burkett 2321</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Ed Delahanty*
2596
</TD><TD>1888-1903</TD><TD>Ed Delahanty 2596,
Jesse Burkett 2547,
Jake Beckley 2501,
George Van Haltren 2497,
Hugh Duffy 2257</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Jake Beckley*
2930
</TD><TD>1888-1907</TD><TD>Jake Beckley 2930,
Jesse Burkett 2850,
Willie Keeler 2749,
Ed Delahanty 2596,
Lave Cross 2591</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Jesse Burkett*
2850
</TD><TD>1890-1905</TD><TD>Jesse Burkett 2850,
Jake Beckley 2573,
Willie Keeler 2470,
Ed Delahanty 2458,
Lave Cross 2344</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Willie Keeler*
2932
</TD><TD>1892-1910</TD><TD>Willie Keeler 2932,
Jesse Burkett 2681,
Fred Clarke 2543,
Honus Wagner 2473,
Nap Lajoie 2456</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Honus Wagner*
3415
</TD><TD>1897-1917</TD><TD>Honus Wagner 3415,
Nap Lajoie 3185,
Sam Crawford 2961,
Ty Cobb 2361,
Willie Keeler 2240</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Ty Cobb*
4189
</TD><TD>1905-1928</TD><TD>Ty Cobb 4189,
Tris Speaker 3514,
Eddie Collins 3314,
Zack Wheat 2884,
Max Carey 2658</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>George Sisler*
2812
</TD><TD>1915-1922, 1924-1930</TD><TD>George Sisler 2812,
Rogers Hornsby 2574,
Sam Rice 2455,
Harry Heilmann 2400,
Ty Cobb 2273</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Sam Rice*
2987
</TD><TD>1915-1934</TD><TD>Sam Rice 2987,
Rogers Hornsby 2905,
Babe Ruth 2858,
George Sisler 2812,
Frankie Frisch 2686</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Frankie Frisch*
2880
</TD><TD>1919-1937</TD><TD>Frankie Frisch 2880,
Sam Rice 2740,
Goose Goslin 2726,
Babe Ruth 2670,
Al Simmons 2631</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Paul Waner*
3152
</TD><TD>1926-1945</TD><TD>Paul Waner 3152,
Mel Ott 2871,
Charlie Gehringer 2830,
Jimmie Foxx 2640,
Doc Cramer 2603</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Doc Cramer
2705
</TD><TD>1929-1948</TD><TD>Doc Cramer 2705,
Mel Ott 2667,
Luke Appling 2571,
Paul Waner 2512,
Joe Medwick 2471</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Luke Appling*
2749
</TD><TD>1930-1943, 1945-1950</TD><TD>Luke Appling 2749,
Doc Cramer 2536,
Mel Ott 2373,
Billy Herman 2345,
Joe Medwick 2306</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Joe DiMaggio*
2214
</TD><TD>1936-1942, 1946-1951</TD><TD>Joe DiMaggio 2214,
Johnny Mize 1949,
Luke Appling 1830,
Enos Slaughter 1768,
Ted Williams 1763</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Bobby Doerr*
2042
</TD><TD>1937-1944, 1946-1951</TD><TD>Bobby Doerr 2042,
Joe DiMaggio 2008,
Stan Musial 1829,
Luke Appling 1818,
Johnny Mize 1813</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Stan Musial*
3630
</TD><TD>1941-1944, 1946-1963</TD><TD>Stan Musial 3630,
Richie Ashburn 2574,
Nellie Fox 2535,
Mickey Vernon 2421,
Red Schoendienst 2292</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Richie Ashburn*
2574
</TD><TD>1948-1962</TD><TD>Richie Ashburn 2574,
Stan Musial 2549,
Nellie Fox 2395,
Alvin Dark 2086,
Yogi Berra 2015</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Hank Aaron*
3771
</TD><TD>1954-1976</TD><TD>Hank Aaron 3771,
Willie Mays 3126,
Al Kaline 3000,
Roberto Clemente 3000,
Frank Robinson 2943</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Pete Rose
4256
</TD><TD>1963-1986</TD><TD>Pete Rose 4256,
Carl Yastrzemski 3073,
Rod Carew 3053,
Lou Brock 2908,
Al Oliver 2743</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>George Brett*
3154
</TD><TD>1973-1993</TD><TD>George Brett 3154,
Robin Yount 3142,
Dave Winfield 3014,
Eddie Murray 2820,
Dave Parker 2712</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Dave Winfield*
3110
</TD><TD>1973-88, 1990-95</TD><TD>Dave Winfield 3110,
George Brett 3025,
Robin Yount 2947,
Eddie Murray 2924,
Andre Dawson 2653</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Eddie Murray*
3255
</TD><TD>1977-1997</TD><TD>Eddie Murray 3255,
Paul Molitor 3178,
Wade Boggs 2800,
Tony Gwynn 2780,
Andre Dawson 2754</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Paul Molitor*
3319
</TD><TD>1978-1998</TD><TD>Paul Molitor 3319,
Eddie Murray 3082,
Tony Gwynn 2928,
Wade Boggs 2922,
Cal Ripken 2878</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Cal Ripken*
3184
</TD><TD>1981-2001</TD><TD>Cal Ripken 3184,
Tony Gwynn 3141,
Wade Boggs 3010,
Paul Molitor 2852,
Harold Baines 2741</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Kirby Puckett*
2304
</TD><TD>1984-1995</TD><TD>Kirby Puckett 2304,
Tony Gwynn 2252,
Wade Boggs 2213,
Don Mattingly 2072,
Brett Butler 2005</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Rafeal Palmeiro
3020
</TD><TD>1986-2005</TD><TD>Rafael Palmeiro 3020,
Craig Biggio 2795,
Barry Bonds 2742,
Roberto Alomar 2724,
Tony Gwynn 2582</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Craig Biggio
2942+
</TD><TD>1988-</TD><TD>Craig Biggio 2942,
Rafael Palmeiro 2941,
Robero Alomar 2724,
Barry Bonds 2614,
Steve Finley 2532</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
*- Hall of Fame
http://plunkbiggio.blogspot.com/

I may be a little biased living in Houston but I believe he gets in definately. He is one of those rare players who played with one team his entire career. There was a time earlier in his career when he could have taken more money to play elsewhere. I believe he will get his 3000th hit this year and then retire.

I believe a harder question is does Bagwell get in the HOF? Without his injury he would have gotten in without a doubt. Again, I am probably biased but I believe he should get in also.

What's up with these HOF arguments and people bringing up players who have played for one team in their career?

That means nothing.

I agree Biggio will make the Hall but that is a non-factor.

Let's put Bernie Williams in if we're using that as an argument. Damn.

Bagwell is not going to get so easily

fucnluc said:

What's up with these HOF arguments and people bringing up players who have played for one team in their career?

That means nothing.

I agree Biggio will make the Hall but that is a non-factor.

Let's put Bernie Williams in if we're using that as an argument. Damn.

Click to expand...

You really dont think thats a factor...I guess I do think that helps more than it hurts...JMO

he's a lock right now.. doesnt ever have to get out of bed again and he's still in.

maxdemo said:

You really dont think thats a factor...I guess I do think that helps more than it hurts...JMO

Click to expand...

I think it's neutral and not a factor at all.

Players can't help if they get traded or sign with another team for more money.

If it was a string of great teams (see: Phill Rizzuto and Yankees) it's a different story because he won so many world series and postseason does factor into a HOF.

Houston has been shit in the post season for so long. They got to the WS in 05 but before that got to the NLCS only once.

He'll still get in though.

Biggio is 100% in as a HOF , Bagwell I don't think so.

Dsethi said:

i wish Raffy got to 3,000.

Click to expand...

he did.

Rafael Palmeiro 3020

I dont think he's a 1st ballot shoe-in, but it's getting harder every year to find anybody to put in so by the time he's eligible he got a good shot.
IF this was 25 yrs ago though i'd say no skins on the wall, and he should have quit 4 yrs ago go against him...he hasnt made the all-star team in 9 yrs and hasnt had a golden glove or anything else in 10 yrs.........so the 3,000 hits come with very little production. his defense cost them quite a few games in his last few years at 2nd and in CF for sure..
I'd also be curious to see his playoff avg's and stats, as just like Bagwell all i remember is them 2 giving Atlanta catchers colds from the breeze of their bats flaing wildly in the wind.....
Bagwell wont get a vote on the 1st ballot and wont see another ballot after that unless they put him in for having set the record for most times getting something in your eye right before a 3-2 pitch then crying after games that you cant see the ball well

Isn't every guy ( except Pete Rose) with 3k hits in the HOF ?

3k hits or 300 wins is automatic, right ?

Doug said:

Isn't every guy ( except Pete Rose) with 3k hits in the HOF ?

3k hits or 300 wins is automatic, right ?

Click to expand...

Yes

ProPokerPlayer said:

I dont think he's a 1st ballot shoe-in, but it's getting harder every year to find anybody to put in so by the time he's eligible he got a good shot.
IF this was 25 yrs ago though i'd say no skins on the wall, and he should have quit 4 yrs ago go against him...he hasnt made the all-star team in 9 yrs and hasnt had a golden glove or anything else in 10 yrs.........so the 3,000 hits come with very little production. his defense cost them quite a few games in his last few years at 2nd and in CF for sure..
I'd also be curious to see his playoff avg's and stats, as just like Bagwell all i remember is them 2 giving Atlanta catchers colds from the breeze of their bats flaing wildly in the wind.....
Bagwell wont get a vote on the 1st ballot and wont see another ballot after that unless they put him in for having set the record for most times getting something in your eye right before a 3-2 pitch then crying after games that you cant see the ball well

Click to expand...

lol good post i agree......im not a big biggio fan but he will get in but if he didnt i wouldnt cry foul

He will get in, but IMO, he couldn't carry Alomar's jock. Biggio's longevity will help him immensely as he piled up stats at the end of his career. I wonder if Alomar will get in, he really dropped off after he left Cleveland.

However, while he has a VERY consistent and long quality career, I have a hard time considering him one of the all time great players. To me he is like a Don Sutton as a pitcher.

Baseball reference lists the following players as most comparable by age

# J.J. Hardy (989) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Bernie Allen (976) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Rafael Ramirez (979) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# B.J. Surhoff (968) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Jay Bell (962) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Jay Bell (960) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Jay Bell (946) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Ray Durham (943) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Ray Durham (963) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Ray Durham (947) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Ray Durham (927) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Ray Durham (932) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Alan Trammell (920) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Alan Trammell (915) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Alan Trammell (887) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C
# Lou Whitaker (869) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C

None of those guys are HOF or even close for that matter.

maxdemo,
I voted yes but why didn't you include his lifetime BA and HR's?