Biggio’s son among familiar names called on Day 2 of draft

NEW YORK – Cavan Biggio heard his name announced during the Major League Baseball draft by a familiar voice.

The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio was selected in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. And, it was the Notre Dame infielder’s older brother, Conor, who broke the news.

Conor, a 34th-round pick of Houston last year, is working as an intern for the league and was able to get on the microphone to broadcast that the younger Biggio was the 162nd player drafted.

Cavan Biggio hit .311 with four home runs and 28 RBIs while starting all 54 games for the Irish this season as a junior. He was also drafted out of high school in the 29th round in 2013 by Philadelphia.

“I’m absolutely thrilled for Cavan,” Notre Dame coach Mik Aoki said in a statement. “He was a model of how you go about handling what can be a pressure-filled process in dealing with scouts and the draft and all the inherit noise that comes along with that.”

Biggio’s father still has bragging rights, though. Craig Biggio was a first-rounder in 1987 and went on to a fantastic big league career.

Cavan Biggio wasn’t the only familiar name selected during the draft’s second day.

Rafael Palmeiro’s son Preston, a first baseman for North Carolina State, was taken in the seventh round by Baltimore — one of his father’s former teams. Rafael Palmeiro had two stops with the Orioles, playing in Baltimore from 1994-98 and 2004-05.

The younger Palmeiro hit .337 with nine home runs and 55 RBIs during his junior season for the Wolfpack.

Kentucky third baseman JaVon Shelby, the son of Colorado hitting coach and former outfielder John Shelby, went in the fifth round to Oakland after hitting a team-leading 12 home runs for the Wildcats.

Texas high school outfielder Conner Caple, son of former reliever Mike Capel, was also drafted in the fifth, selected by Cleveland.

There were a few other notable names without famous bloodlines.

Louisville right-hander Kyle Funkhouser went in the fourth round to Detroit (35th overall) after being a first-rounder last year. He was considered a potential top-five pick as a junior, but returned to school for his senior season and graduated with a marketing degree. He is 9-3 with a 3.86 ERA for the super regional-bound Cardinals.

St. John’s sidearming closer Thomas Hackimer, who sported an eye-popping 0.19 ERA late in the season before finishing at 1.17, was taken by Minnesota in the fourth round a year after going to the Mets in the 15th round.

After the first two rounds and lottery picks were selected Thursday night at MLB Network studios, the draft resumed with rounds 3-10 via conference calls with the teams. Philadelphia got things started in the third round by taking Nebraska high school shortstop Cole Stobbe.

Rounds 11-40 will be held Saturday, also with conference calls, to wrap up the three-day event.

California high school outfielder Mickey Moniak was the No. 1 overall pick by Philadelphia.