Cavan Biggio realized his dream of playing Major League Baseball after the Toronto Blue Jays drafted the Notre Dame star in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.
Per Baseball America, Biggio is the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio and was selected 162nd overall.
Biggio has played three seasons at Notre Dame and set career highs this year in batting average (.311) and on-base percentage (.473).
In a nice bit of kismet, per MLB.com’s Joe Trezza, Cavan’s brother Connor Biggio announced the pick.
The 21-year-old does have the bloodlines that made him one of the draft’s marquee names, but J.J. Cooper of Baseball America noted he’s lacking in certain areas:
Biggio did show patience and ability at working the count, walking 22 more times than he struck out in 2016. He’s never posted a slugging percentage higher than .462 in three college seasons, though he did hit nine home runs in 2015 to suggest there is more pop in his bat.
This marks the second time Biggio has been drafted. The Philadelphia Phillies previously took him in the 29th round three years ago, though he was regarded better than that selection would suggest.
Baseball America ranked Biggio as the 66th-best prospect in 2013, but he had the luxury of waiting things out for money that appealed to him, because Notre Dame is a terrific school and his family isn’t hurting financially.
The fifth round isn’t going to net Biggio a huge deal; the slot value for the 162nd pick is $328,100. Yet he was still able to prove himself in three years of college. He does have one more year of college eligibility left, so there’s the possibility he returns to school.
However, being a fifth-round pick is an achievement. Biggio has the talent to improve his standing with professional coaching. The Blue Jays showed excellent faith in his ability to tap into that potential and will give him every opportunity to succeed.
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