Ron Santo (2012)


Date of Birth: 2/25/1940
Date of Death: 12/3/2010
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington

Ron Santo played baseball in a Babe Ruth League in high school. He got his first taste of real competition in 1954 when his team played in the Babe Ruth World Series.

Chicago Cubs

Santo signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1959, and a year later, he was playing in the major leagues. He played in 95 games in 1960, and he batted .251 with 87 hits, 24 doubles, and 44 RBIs. In 1961, his first full season with the Cubs, he batted .284 with 164 hits, 32 doubles, 23 home runs, and 83 RBIs in 154 games. He walked 73 times and struck out 77 times.

Santo batted just .227 in 162 games in 1962. However, he played well defensively, leading all NL third basemen in assists with 332 and in putouts with 161. The following season, he played well both offensively and defensively. In 1963, he batted .297 with a career high 187 hits, 29 doubles, 25 home runs, and 99 RBIs in 162 games. He again led all NL third basemen in assists (374) and putouts (136).

In 1964, Santo led the NL in walks with 86 (to 96 strikeouts). He had career highs in doubles (33), triples (13), and batting average (.313). He had 185 hits, 30 home runs, and 114 RBIs in 161 games. He also had a good season defensively, winning his first Gold Glove. He again led NL third basemen in assists (367) and putouts (156).

Santo played in a career high 164 games in 1965. He had 173 hits, 30 doubles, 33 home runs, 101 RBIs, 109 strikeouts to 88 walks, and a .285 batting average. He won his second Gold Glove and he once again led NL third basemen in assists with 373 and in putouts with 155.

Santo had good seasons in 1966 and 1967, batting .312 in 1966, and .300 the following year. He led the NL in walks both years (95 walks in 1966, and 96 walks in 1967). He had 175 hits, 21 doubles, 30 home runs, and 94 RBIs in 155 games in 1966, and similar numbers in 1967 (176 hits, 23 doubles, 31 home runs, 98 RBIs in 161 games). Both seasons, he won Gold Gloves and he led all NL third basemen in assists (391 in 1966, 393 in 1967) and in putouts (150 in 1966, 187 in 1967).

Although Santo's batting average dropped to .246 in 1968, he still had 26 home runs and 98 RBIs, and he led the NL in walks with 106. He won Gold Glove number five that year, and he led all NL third basemen in assists with 378.

Santo improved offensively in 1969, finishing with a .289 batting average in 160 games. He had 166 hits, 18 doubles, 29 home runs, a career high 123 RBIs, and 97 strikeouts to 96 walks. He led NL third basemen in putouts with 144.

Santo had very similar seasons in 1970 and 1971, batting .267 with 148 hits in 154 games each season. He had 30 doubles, 26 home runs, 114 RBIs, and 108 strikeouts to 92 walks in 1970, and 22 doubles, 21 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 95 strikeouts to 79 walks in 1971.

In 1972, Santo batted .302 with 140 hits, 25 dobules, and 74 RBIs in 133 games. His batting average went back down to .267 the following year. He won the Lou Gehrig Memorial award in 1973.

Chicago White Sox

In December, 1973, the Cubs traded Santo to the Chicago White Sox. In his one season with the White Sox, Santo was their designated hitter for most of the 117 games in which he played. He retired after the 1974 season at the age of 34.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Lou Gehrig Memorial award
  • Gold Glove (5 times)
  • Led the NL in walks (4 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Santo in 15 seasons (1960-1974) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 187 in 1963
  • 4 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 33 in 1964
  • 10 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 33 in 1965
  • 4 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 123 in 1969
  • 4 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with highs of .312 in 1966 and .313 in 1964

Career batting statistics for Santo include:

  • 2,243 games played
  • 2,254 hits
  • 365 doubles
  • 342 home runs
  • 1,331 RBIs
  • 1,343 strikeouts to 1,108 walks
  • .277 batting average
  • .362 on-base percentage
  • .826 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Santo at third base include:

  • 2,130 games played
  • 317 errors
  • 4,581 assists
  • 395 double plays
  • 1,955 putouts
  • .954 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

In 1990, Santo worked as a radio color commentator for the Cubs.

Santo died on December 3, 2010, from bladder cancer and diabetes complications.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ron Santo
ESPN - Ron Santo
Baseball Reference - Ron Santo

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