Cavan Biggio and His Surprising Offensive Numbers
Cavan Biggio has some surprising offensive numbers that might come as a shock to many. After all, he is not an everyday player, as he’s struggled with the bat overall since coming to the big leagues. However, the lack of playing time when looking at Biggio’s offensive numbers is exactly why he is so impressive. Biggio is an underrated offensive contributor on this Toronto Blue Jays team.
Biggio Has a Solid OPS+
Biggio’s offensive numbers and eye-opening potential starts with his on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). OPS+ takes that number and normalizes it across all ballparks. Essentially, it makes it a standard number that accounts for external factors. The league average for OPS+ is 100. Biggio’s, however, is 104, meaning his statistic in this area is 4% better than the league average. It’s a slight shock, especially when this statistic is dug deeper.
The 27-year-old has a .383 slugging percentage this season, which is slightly low. Comparing that to the league average for 2022 is .396. Although, Biggio has an OBP of .331, which is above average. The league average in 2022 is .312. Biggio has been a solid on-base player throughout his career thanks to his walk percentage. In addition, his ability to generate walks is one area that allows him to succeed in the OPS+ category. Combining these two statistics and equalling out for external factors makes Biggio a surprising offensive player.
His Improvement on Hitting
It’s been really awesome to see Cavan Biggio find his swing at the plate again.
He has way more good at-bats than bad these days.
— Josh Goldberg (@JGoldberg12) July 24, 2022
Biggio has improved a lot on his plate discipline, something he has previously struggled with. He has always seen the ball well at the plate, although, that does not mean that he can hit those pitches as well as he sees them. In both 2020 and 2021, he struggled with hitting four-seam fastballs. In 2022, he is hitting those pitches at a run value of 0.5/100. His run value is a significant improvement from -0.6 and -2.0 in the previous two seasons. Considering in 2020, he gets hits from fastballs 54.8% of the time, the improvement in hitting four-seam fastballs is great for his offensive production.
A Part-Time Player Success
There will always be statistical differences when a player does not play daily. As for Biggio, this is also apparent. Each at-bat means that much more as Biggio has taken advantage of the opportunities he gets. He continues to fit in that role nicely. For a team like the Blue Jays, who in a playoff push, consider themselves lucky to have a player such as Biggio. Also, he understands his role and its importance that comes with it.
According to Sportsnets Arden Zwelling, interim manager John Schneider said “It’s a great problem to have. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to be involved.” What Schneider is saying is that Biggio has taken his opportunity and, much to some people’s surprise, has improved his offensive statistics even in a limited role. He still has a lot to work on for a player like Biggio, who has struggled since coming to the big leagues. Even so, the small feats offensively are steps in the right direction to becoming an even better version of himself as a ballplayer.
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