Players with big-league dads are carving their own path
TRENTON » Cavan Biggio knows the questions are coming.
It’s part of the deal when your father is a Hall of Famer.
But Biggio, like many other second generation players, is carving out a name for himself.
“The harder part was when I was growing up and always being labeled as Craig Biggio’s son,” Biggio said prior to the Eastern League All-Star Game at Arm & Hammer Park on Wednesday. “As I got older, I learned to embrace it more. I play the game that I’ve learned and not necessarily taught me and showed me how to do it.”
Biggio’s New Hampshire team is packed with prospects, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Both, like Biggio, are sons of former major league stars.
“The three of us we’re our own players,” Biggio said. “You look at Bo, Vlady and myself and you see a little bit of similarities in our fathers, but you also seee that we’re our own players and we’re here because of what we’ve done in our careers.”
While Bichette (Futures Game) and Guerrero (injury) weren’t in Trenton on Wednesday night, Biggio and his ELleading 19 home runs and 67 RBIs were penciled into the No. 3 spot in the East Division’s lineup.
“I’ve always had the power,” Biggio said. “I made some adjustments from my first full season. I lowered my hands a little bit to keep my bat back in the zone a little bit more. I have a natural high finish so I think when I square balls up they go in the air versus line drives.”
Ke’Bryan Hayes remembers looking at his father Charlie’s collection of memorabilia from his 14-year major league career. That includes the final out ball from the Yankees’ 1996 World Series championship, which Charlie caught.
“He has a bunch of video and whenever I was younger I saw a lot of his video when he played,” Hayes said. “It’s awesome to see because he always has stories from when he played. My brothers were a little older than me, so they got to experience all that in the clubhouse.”
The Pirates selected Hayes 32nd overall in the first round of the 2015 draft and he’s risen to EL All-Star status with Altoona this season.
Hayes is slashing .293/.361/.454 with four homers and 21 RBIs, and like Biggio, he’s just starting to discover his own path.
“He’s always been there for me,” Hayes said. “Having him and my brothers as an outlet because they’ve been through it is a great advantage to have in my corner.”
Hayes will also take part in the Futures Game on Sunday in Washington.
“I was super surprised because I was just told I was coming to this,” Hayes said. “The Futures Game is something that I’ve been watching the last couple years. When my manager told me as I was going, I was lost for words. I couldn’t believe it.”