Fantasy Baseball: Can Cavan Biggio get his groove back?

Cavan Biggio was one of my biggest misses in the 2021 fantasy baseball season. It started badly, and if anything, it kept getting worse.

I knew Biggio had swing-and-miss in his game, but I figured the category juice would make up for it. I figured he’d knock a few balls over the fence. And given that Biggio had a strong OBP in his first two seasons, and was a perfect 20-for-20 in steal attempts, I even measured that he could provide fantasy value even when the average might be scuffling a bit.

Alas, it was a crash-landing year. A .224 average wasn’t that big a surprise, given the earlier profile, but Biggio also saw a notable drop in his OBP (.322) and slugging (.356). The Blue Jays didn’t consider him a regular for the full season. And those stolen bases that would buoy a rocky tide? He only copped three of them.

So I don’t blame anyone who’s been reluctant to consider Biggio this year. Heck, I’m speaking for myself here — he’s been a story I’ve been slow to consider. But over the past month or so, the Blue Jays have found more things for Biggio to do, more places for him to play. And he’s starting to make it pay off.

Is Biggio bouncing back?

Over the last 30 days, Biggio boasts a .274 average, a couple of homers and 13 walks. He’s getting on base at a .391 clip, and the slugging is a robust .480. Focus on those stats, not the mediocre ones for the full season. Biggio might be regaining his form and confidence.

Most importantly, he’s back in Toronto’s good graces. They’re creative in getting him in the lineup. Sometimes it’s first base, sometimes it’s second base, sometimes it’s the outfield. Biggio qualifies at four different spots in the Yahoo game (first, second, third, outfield).

Maybe the OBP skills will eventually earn Biggio better lineup real estate. He’s generally been parked near the bottom of the lineup — mostly batting ninth — but he did draw three leadoff assignments over the last two weeks. He had the first call in Wednesday’s win over Oakland, although he took the collar in that game.

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This isn’t a recommendation for the shallow formats. Biggio’s Yahoo roster tag is 13 percent at the moment. But given the plausible upside, I think that number could easily double in the next few weeks. Let’s try to keep an open mind here. And I say all this as a freshly-minted Biggio manager, myself.