Ryne Sandberg (2005)


Date of Birth: 9/18/1959
Birthplace: Spokane, Washington

Ryne Sandberg was a top football player in high school but he had chosen baseball over football college offers when he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978.

Philadelphia Phillies

After spending close to four years in the minor leagues, Sandberg played in 13 games with the Phillies in 1981. He batted just .167 that season and the Phillies traded him to the Chicago Cubs prior to the 1982 season.

Chicago Cubs

In 1982, his first full season in the major leagues, Sandberg batted .271 with 172 hits, 33 doubles, 32 stolen bases, and 54 RBIs in 156 games. The following year, 1983, he won his first of nine consecutive Gold Glove awards. His fielding statistics for that season included 13 errors, 571 assists, 126 defensive double plays, 330 putouts, and a .986 fielding percentage in 157 games. He led all NL players in assists and all NL second basemen in double plays. He also played well offensively, batting .261 with 165 hits, 25 doubles, 48 RBIs, and 79 strikeouts to 51 walks in 158 games.

In 1984, Sandberg won his second Gold Glove, his first of seven Silver Slugger awards, the NL MVP award, and the Sporting News and Baseball Digest Player of the Year awards. He had career highs in hits with 200, doubles with 36, triples with 19, and batting average with .314. He also had 19 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases in 156 games. He once again led all NL position players in assists with 550.

Sandberg won his second Silver Slugger award in 1985. He had 186 hits, 31 doubles, 26 home runs, a carer high 54 stolen bases, 83 RBIs, and a .305 batting average in 153 games. His numbers fell in 1986 to 178 hits, 28 doubles, 14 home runs, 34 stolen bases, and a .284 batting average in 154 games. However, he had another strong defensive season, winning Gold Glove number four and leading the NL in assists with 492.

Sandberg played in 132 games in 1987, and he batted .294 with 154 hits, 25 doubles, and 59 RBIs. In 1988, even though his batting average dropped to .264, he won his third Silver Slugger award. He had 163 hits, 23 doubles, and 69 RBIs in 155 games. He won Gold Glove number six in 1988, and he again led the NL in assists with 522.

In 1989, Sandberg won his fourth Silver Slugger award, batting .290 with 176 hits, 25 doubles, 30 home runs, and 76 RBIs in 157 games. He also won another Gold Glove that year.

Sandberg had a very good season in 1990, winning the Baseball Digest Player of the Year award and another Silver Slugger award. He led the NL in home runs. He had 188 hits, 30 doubles, career highs in home runs (40) and RBIs (100), 25 stolen bases, and a .306 batting average in 155 games. He won his eighth Gold Glove in 1990, and he led the NL in assists with 469.

Sandberg had another strong season in 1991, and he won his sixth Silver Slugger award. He batted .291 with 186 hits, 32 doubles, 26 home runs, and 100 RBIs in 158 games. He won his ninth consecutive Gold Glove and he again led the NL in assists with 515.

Sandberg won his seventh and last Silver Slugger award in 1992, when he batted .304 with 186 hits, 32 doubles, 26 home runs, and 87 RBIs. He didn't win a Gold Glove but he did lead all NL position players in assists with 539. In 1993, he played in only 117 games. He finished the season with 141 hits, 20 doubles, and a .309 batting average.

In the strike-shortened 1994 season, after playing in only 57 games, Sandberg retired, but he returned to the Cubs in 1996 for two final full seasons. Although he batted only .244 in 1996, he still had a good season with 135 hits, 28 doubles, 25 home runs, and 92 RBIs in 150 games. In 1997, he batted .264 with 118 hits, 26 doubles, and 64 RBIs in 135 games.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL MVP
  • Sporting News Player of the Year
  • Baseball Digest Player of the Year
  • Gold Glove (9 times)
  • Silver Slugger award (7 times)
  • Led the NL in assists (7 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Sandberg in 14 full seasons (1982-1993, 1996-1997) in the major leagues include:

  • 11 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 200 in 1984
  • 6 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 36 in 1984
  • 6 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 40 in 1990
  • 9 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 54 in 1985
  • 5 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .314 in 1984

Career batting statistics for Sandberg include:

  • 2,164 games played
  • 2,386 hits
  • 403 doubles
  • 282 home runs
  • 1,061 RBIs
  • 344 stolen bases
  • 1,260 strikeouts to 761 walks
  • .285 batting average
  • .344 on-base percentage
  • .796 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Sandberg at second base include:

  • 1,995 games played
  • 109 errors
  • 6,363 assists
  • 1,158 double plays
  • 3,807 putouts
  • .989 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After his retirement as a major league player, Sandberg spent time as a Spring training instructor for the Cubs, a radio baseball analyst for ESPN (2004), and as a minor league manager, first for the Cubs organization (2007-2010) and more recently for the Phillies.

Sandberg started the 2013 season as a coach and instructor with the Phillies. On August 16, 2013, Sandberg was named interim manager of the Phillies. A little over a month later, on September 22, 2013, he was made the permanent manager.

In 2013, his first season as manager, Sandberg led the Phillies to a 20-22 win-loss record in 42 games. The team did not fare well under his leadership in 2014, finishing in last place in the National League East division with a 73-89 record.

After a very poor start to the 2015 season (26 wins to 48 losses), Sandberg resigned as the Phillies' manager on June 26th. In his two and a half years managing the team, he had a 119 to 159 record.

In 2016, Sandberg returned to the Cubs to be a goodwill ambassador for them.

Sandberg was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005 on the third ballot with 76.2% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ryne Sandberg
ESPN - Ryne Sandberg
Baseball Reference - Ryne Sandberg

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