Minute Maid backs Biggio for Hall of Fame

The Minute Maid Company has been a part of the Astros family since purchasing the naming rights to Houston’s downtown ballpark in 2002. Now, the world’s biggest juice company is launching a campaign to help get Craig Biggio elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Minute Maid is putting together “The Book on Biggio”, a publication detailing both the on and off the field accomplishments of the career Astro’s 20-year run as a big leaguer in Houston. The locally based company intends on sending their book to every voting member of the Baseball Writers Association of America when ballots are sent out this November.

The company has also started a Twitter account, @biggiohof, tweeting out highlights and milestones of Biggio’s career. Biggio was named on 68% of the HOF ballots in 2013, his first year of eligibility. A total of 75% or more is required for enshrinement. Can corporate sponsorship help Biggio get the extra 7% of the vote needed to put him in Cooperstown next summer? I don’t think it will hurt.

Honestly, I’m not sure Biggio needs any help getting over the hump, but I have to commend Minute Maid for their efforts. This type of corporate sponsorship is unprecedented, to my knowledge. Maybe we will see Biggio’s picture and stats on juice cartons and Coke cans in the near future. (Minute Maid is a division of The Coca-Cola Company) If it works, this sort of thing could become commonplace in the future.

Although the recent BBWAA voting totals have been consistently inconsistent and disappointing, my feeling is that Biggio will make it in his second year of eligibility. I’m also hopeful that his longtime teammate Jeff Bagwell will join Craig at the podium. Bagwell spent all 15 of his big league seasons in Houston and Biggio was his teammate for every one of them. It would only be fitting to have the two Houston icons enter Cooperstown simultaneously.

Craig Biggio is one of only 28 major leaguers to amass a career total of 3,000 hits. He is the modern record holder for hit-by-pitches and has more doubles than any right-handed hitter in the history of the game.

Check out this video that Minute Maid has put together for Biggio.