Corridor of Famer Ryne Sandberg has handed away at age 65. The Cubs introduced the devastating information on Monday night. Sandberg had battled metastatic prostate most cancers since not less than January 2024.
“Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved determine all through Main League Baseball. He was a five-tool participant who excelled in each aspect of the sport due to his energy, velocity and work ethic. Ryne earned 10 consecutive All-Star alternatives, 9 straight Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers and 1984 Nationwide League MVP honors,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred mentioned in an announcement.
“Ryne remained lively within the sport he liked as an envoy for the Cubs, a supervisor for the Phillies and within the Minor Leagues, and a frequent participant on the Corridor of Fame. His many associates throughout the sport have been in his nook as he courageously fought most cancers in recent times. We’ll proceed to assist the necessary work of Stand Up To Most cancers in Ryne’s reminiscence. On behalf of Main League Baseball, I prolong my deepest condolences to Ryne’s household, Cubs followers in every single place and his admirers all through our nationwide pastime.”
Cubs proprietor Tom Ricketts launched his personal assertion of condolences. “Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a era of Chicago Cubs followers and might be remembered as one of many all-time greats in practically 150 years of this historic franchise,” Ricketts mentioned. “His dedication to and respect for the sport, alongside together with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and aggressive hearth have been hallmarks of his profession. He was immensely happy with his teammates and his position as a worldwide ambassador of the sport of baseball, however most of all, he was happy with Margaret, his youngsters and his position as husband, father and grandfather.”
Whereas Sandberg would turn into an iconic determine in Cubs historical past, he started his profession in Philadelphia. The Phillies signed the Spokane native away from a dedication to Washington State after drafting him within the twentieth spherical in 1978. Sandberg debuted with the Phils as a September call-up in 1981, going 1-6 whereas showing in 13 video games. His first hit, a single off Mike Krukow as a customer at Wrigley Area, could be the one considered one of his main league profession that didn’t are available a Cubs uniform.
In the course of the 1981-82 offseason, the Phillies traded a 22-year-old Sandberg alongside veteran shortstop Larry Bowa to the Cubs for outfielder Iván de Jesús. It was the most effective strikes in Chicago’s franchise historical past. Sandberg opened the season as their beginning third baseman. He earned a sixth-place end in NL Rookie of the Yr balloting after hitting .271 with 33 doubles and 7 house runs. The Cubs acquired six-time All-Star third baseman Ron Cey from the Dodgers the next offseason. Sandberg moved completely to second base by 1983.
He’d go on to turn into one of many biggest ever on the place. Sandberg received a Gold Glove in his first full season on the keystone. Whereas he was largely a light-hitting defensive stalwart in ’83, Sandberg really broke out offensively in his third 12 months within the large leagues. He batted .314/.367/.520 whereas main the Nationwide League in runs scored and topping MLB with 19 triples. He hit an identical 19 house runs, two of which have been game-tying photographs off future Corridor of Famer Bruce Sutter within the so-called “Sandberg Recreation” towards the Cardinals in June. He reached 200 hits for the one time in his profession.
Sandberg received his second straight Gold Glove and led the Cubs to a 96-win season and an NL East title — the franchise’s first playoff berth in 39 years. Sandberg was resoundingly voted the Senior Circuit’s most respected participant. He hit .368 in what was then a greatest of 5 NL Championship Sequence, however the Cubs dropped three straight after taking a 2-0 sequence lead and fell a sport shy of a World Sequence berth.
That was the primary of 10 consecutive All-Star seasons for Sandberg. He received the Gold Glove 9 straight occasions between 1983-91 whereas claiming the Silver Slugger in all however two years from 1984-92. He hit .306 with 26 longballs and a career-high 54 stolen bases as a follow-up to his MVP season.
After a trio of comparatively common seasons with the bat within the mid-Eighties, he had a four-year resurgence as the most effective hitters in MLB. Sandberg completed fourth in MVP balloting in each 1989 and ’90. He led the Cubs again to the playoffs in ’89, the place he hit .400 in a shedding effort towards the Giants within the NLCS. The 1990 marketing campaign was arguably the very best of Sandberg’s profession. He led Nationwide Leaguers with a career-high 40 house runs and paced the NL with 116 runs scored. He drove in 100 runs in consecutive seasons in 1990-91.
The Cubs signed Sandberg to a four-year, $28.4MM extension going into the ’92 season. That made him MLB’s highest-paid participant on the time, and he responded with a monster .304/.371/.510 displaying with 26 homers and 87 RBI. He hit .309 in 1993 however was off to a really sluggish begin to the ’94 season. Sandberg shockingly introduced his retirement that June, later explaining that he’d misplaced the drive to play every single day and felt he’d be doing a disservice to the group, followers and himself by enjoying at lower than 100%. He sat out the ’95 season earlier than making a comeback, ending his enjoying profession with two extra seasons in Wrigleyville.
Sandberg retired for good after the 1997 marketing campaign. He completed his illustrious profession with a .285/.344/.452 batting line. Sandberg tallied 2386 hits, drilled 282 house runs, and drove in additional than 1000 runs. He topped 400 doubles, hit 76 triples, and stole 344 bases. He ranks fourth in Cubs historical past in hits, fifth in homers, and seventh in runs batted in. In line with Baseball Reference, solely Cap Anson and Ron Santo had extra Wins Above Alternative in a Cubs uniform amongst place gamers.
That type of manufacturing from a center infielder is sort of exceptional — a lot much less from as sure-handed an infielder as Sandberg was. Amongst second basemen, solely Roberto Alomar topped Sandberg’s 9 Gold Gloves. He nonetheless ranks fifth all time on the place in profession house runs, surpassed solely by Jeff Kent, Robinson Canó, Rogers Hornsby and Craig Biggio. Sandberg is eleventh amongst second basemen in bWAR and by Jay Jaffe’s JAWS rating, which measures a participant’s profession worth and peak seasons as a proxy for his Corridor of Fame candidacy.
Sandberg’s numbers in contrast favorably to different Corridor of Famers on the place. It took three years on the poll, however he was deservedly voted into Cooperstown in 2005. The Cubs retired his #23 not lengthy after his Corridor of Fame induction. Sandberg took a managerial place of their farm system a 12 months later, hoping to ultimately work his means as much as handle the franchise with which he’d starred.
Whereas that by no means got here to move, Sandberg did get a chance to handle his former group in Philadelphia. The Phillies employed him on an interim foundation after firing Charlie Manuel halfway by the 2013 season. Sandberg signed a three-year contract to take the place completely the next offseason. He resigned throughout the 2015 marketing campaign when the rebuilding membership had a 26-48 document, ending with a 119-159 document general. He returned to the Cubs in a part-time tutorial position and labored with the group as not too long ago as this previous Spring Coaching.
On high of his laundry record of on-field accomplishments, Sandberg was held in excessive esteem by teammates, followers and colleagues for his work ethic and humility. The Cubs will put on a jersey patch honoring him for the rest of the season. His legacy will reside on far past this 12 months within the reminiscences of generations of followers inside and out of doors Chicago. MLBTR joins others all through the sport in sending condolences to Sandberg’s household, family members, associates and the numerous individuals whose lives he impacted.
Picture courtesy of David Banks, Imagn Pictures.
