(Author byline note: This is Brian Cohn’s article; temporarily putting it under Cody’s as we figure out an access issue for Brian.)
I remember when Cavan Biggio was drafted in the 5th round, excited to see the next generation of the Biggio lineage, but sad that his career would be in another uniform.
2024, frankly, wasn’t kind to Cavan. His .197/.314/.303 triple slash on the year led to him bouncing across 4 teams in Toronto, LA, SF, and Atlanta, ultimately, leading to his free agency this off-season.
Don’t get me wrong, Cavan isn’t the blockbuster, grand slam superstar player that forces the Astros window open for longer, nor backfills the potential lost production from a player like Bregman.
With that said, the Astros will need to be “creative” with their payroll this year, and even if the Biggio name wasn’t printed on the back of his jersey, Cavan does provide an intriguing bounceback candidate, particularly as a cost-effective backup.
Defensively, Biggio has technically played every position on the diamond, though in reality, he has spent essentially 3x as much time at 2B and then a near equal split of 3B/LF/RF/1B. While not an elite fielder, he has posted respectable numbers throughout, providing solid flexibility as a potential utility player.
Biggio’s 84 wRC+ may not have impressed last year, but he is a slightly above-average career hitter who burst onto the scene, earning him 5th place in the RotY race.
In 2019-20, Biggio was 16% above league average, hitting 24 home runs, stealing 20 bases, and providing a consistent on-base threat. Biggio has always had an excellent eye at the plate and has primarily earned his value through OBP.
At 29, Biggio is no longer young, and the question will be if last year’s struggles were an anomaly or if the injuries over the years have dampened his ability. Across his career, he’s been sidelined due to hand, back, neck, and shoulder injuries.
That’s a tough question to answer, and what makes it even tougher is that Biggio’s 2023 started very poorly, but over time, he heated up and actually ended the year above average from a wRC+ perspective.
It seems that there a few major red flags. Biggio has always had an excellent eye, but has almost become too reluctant, becoming extremely selective. Additionally, Biggio has consistently crushed breaking pitches, but has struggled with fastballs, and in 2024, he was pounded with them in the zone and unable to punish them.
In fairness, 2024 was essentially 1/3rd of a season sample size-wise, but with a decline in BB%, hard hit%, and exit velocity, as well as an increase in K%, I don’t see anything in the underlying numbers that indicate 2024 was simply poor luck.
So why sign Biggio? Well, from a budget perspective, the Astros will be fairly limited on player acquisitions. Biggio provides not only the flexibility to slot into different areas of weakness within the Astros roster, but he also provides an upside and heritage that both seem to warrant exploration.