Apr 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros former players
Craig Biggio(left) and
Nolan Ryan(right) wave to the crowd before a game against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Craig Biggio
The all-time hit list place holder (3,060) was just two votes shy of entrance to Cooperstown last year. He also racked up 414 stolen bases in a 20-year career, and ended last year with an agonizingly close 74.9 percent of the vote. He posted worthy numbers through 10,876 at-bats: 3,060 hits, over 1,800 runs, nearly 1,200 RBI and an .800 OPS.
Another Hall-worthy note: Biggio was never suspected of PED usage. Craig Goldstein of SB Nation noted:
"“One of the best things he has going for him though is the complete and utter lack of suspicion of PED usage. In an environment in which his teammate, Jeff Bagwell … is retroactively punished, Biggio’s purity stands out. He may gain some votes on the pure fact that he’s not associated with performance enhancers as voters seek to moralize and castigate while they can.”"