Biggio was an All-American baseball player at Seton Hall University, where he played with other future Major League Baseball stars Mo Vaughn and John Valentin. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round (22nd overall) in 1987.
Biggio was called up as a catcher midway through the 1988 season but was moved to outfield in 1992 and eventually to second base, where he has spent most of his career. Biggio became known as a reliable, consistent hitter, not a power hitter. His stats reflect this, having consistently good marks in hitting and on-base percentage throughout his career.
His consistency was epitomized by playing 1,800 games without ever being put on the disabled list until August 1, 2000, when he had a season-ending knee injury. He was injured sliding into second base, trying to break up a double play. He rebounded with a good season in 2001, but had a lackluster performance in 2002, with only a .253 average, his lowest since entering the league. However, he improved slightly for the 2003 season, averaging .264 with 166 hits.
Biggio led the majors in runs scored in 1995 and 1997 and in doubles in 1998 and 1999. He tops the Astros career list in games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits and doubles. By the end of the 2003 season, Biggio had 2,461 hits, 517 doubles, 210 home runs and 931 RBIs.