Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Dee Sandberg, nicknamed "Ryno", was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.
After a slow start to his career, Sandberg made a name for himself on June 23, 1984, having a career game including two home runs in what colloquially became known as the "Sandberg Game". After that, Sandberg established himself as a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove candidate, making 10 consecutive All-Star appearances and winning nine consecutive Gold Gloves from to. His career.989 fielding percentage was a major-league record at second base when he retired in 1997. He is tied with Jose Altuve for the most Silver Slugger Awards for a second baseman with seven. In 2005, Sandberg was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
After his playing career, Sandberg coached in the minor leagues for the Cubs and Phillies organizations. After briefly serving as a base coach for the Phillies, he became the manager of the Phillies in the middle of the 2013 season, serving in the role until his resignation in the middle of the 2015 season.
Early life
Ryne Dee Sandberg was born on September 18, 1959, in Spokane, Washington, to Elizabeth, a nurse, and Derwent D. "Sandy" Sandberg, a mortician. He was named for relief pitcher Ryne Duren.Sandberg was a three-sport star at North Central High School and graduated in 1978. In the fall of 1977, he was named to Parades High School All-America football team, one of eight quarterbacks listed and one of two players from Washington. The school's baseball field was named in his honor in 1985 as "Ryne Sandberg Field," and his varsity number was retired in both football and baseball.
Sandberg was recruited to play quarterback at NCAA Division I colleges, and eventually signed a letter of intent with Washington State University in Pullman.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
Sandberg opted not to attend after being selected in the 20th round of the 1978 baseball amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.Sandberg was reportedly drafted after Bill Harper and Wilbur "Moose" Johnson, both Philadelphia Phillies scouts, persuaded Phillies director of scouting Dallas Green to draft Sandberg, despite his college football commitment. After the Phillies drafted Sandberg, Harper reportedly met with Sandberg, his parents, and brother Del at the their home. "His parents, particularly his mother, were very concerned about Ryne going to college and getting an education," Harper recalled. Sandberg reportedly received a $20,000 bonus, accepting the offer after taking a walk with his brother during the meeting.
In 1978, at age 18, Sandberg began his professional career with the Helena Phillies in the rookie-level Pioneer League. In his first professional season, Sandberg played exclusively at shortstop and hit.311 with a.390 OBP, one home run, 15 stolen bases, and 23 runs batted in in 56 games. Among his teammates at Helena were George Bell, a future MVP, and Bob Dernier, who later formed the "Daily Double" with Sandberg in Chicago. The three advanced through the Phillies system as teammates.
Playing shortstop in 1979, Sandberg played for the Class A Spartanburg Phillies in the Western Carolinas League. In 138 games, he hit.247 with seven triples, four home runs, 21 stolen bases, and 47 RBIs. Sandberg played for the Class AA Reading Phillies of the Eastern League in 1980. With Reading, Sandberg hit.310, with a.403 OBP, 12 triples, 32 stolen bases, 11 home runs, and 79 RBIs. Playing in 129 games for Reading, he drew 73 bases on balls against 72 strikeouts. In the field, he played 120 games at shortstop and four at third base. Sandberg was selected to the Eastern League All-Star team.
Advancing to the Class AAA level Oklahoma City 89ers in 1981, Sandberg played 133 games before being called up by the Philadelphia Phillies. With Oklahoma City, he remained primarily at shortstop, while playing 17 games at second base. Sandberg hit.293, with a.352 OBP, 32 stolen bases, 9 home runs, and 62 RBIs.
Philadelphia Phillies (1981)
Sandberg made his major-league debut as a shortstop for the Phillies in. Playing in 13 games, Sandberg had one hit in six at-bats for a.167 batting average during his brief stint with the team. The one hit occurred at Wrigley Field using a bat borrowed from starting shortstop Larry Bowa.The Phillies soon concluded that Sandberg was not a successor to Bowa at shortstop. While Sandberg had played both second and third base in the minor leagues, he was blocked from those positions by Manny Trillo and Mike Schmidt. He was traded along with Bowa to the Cubs for shortstop Iván DeJesús prior to the season. The trade came about after negotiations for a new contract between Bowa and the Phillies broke down. Cubs general manager Dallas Green wanted a young prospect to go along with the aging Bowa. Green had been instrumental in the drafting of Sandberg in 1978, while working in the Phillies front office. The two remained close over the years.
Years later, Phillies general manager Paul Owens said that he had not wanted to trade Sandberg, but Green and the Cubs were not interested in any of the other prospects he offered. Owens then went back to his scouts, who said Sandberg would not be any more than a utility infielder. However, Sandberg had hit over.290 in the minors two years in a row. The trade is now considered one of the best in recent Cubs history. At the same time, it is considered one of the worst trades in Phillies history. While DeJesús helped the Phillies infield on their way to the 1983 World Series, he lasted only three years in Philadelphia.
Chicago Cubs (1982–1994, 1996–1997)
1982–1983
The Cubs installed Sandberg as their third baseman, before shifting him to second base late in the season with the call-up of rookie third baseman Pat Tabler. Despite never having played third base before, he made just 11 errors in 140 games, and with 172 hits at a.271 batting average, he finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.After the Cubs acquired veteran Ron Cey following the 1982 season, they moved Sandberg to second base full-time. Sandberg had 165 hits at a.261 average, to go along with 30 steals. He won the Gold Glove Award for second base, the first of nine consecutive such awards, becoming only the third National League player to win a Gold Glove in their first season at a new position.
1984
Sandberg emerged with a breakout season in, in which he batted.314 with 200 hits, 114 runs, 36 doubles, 19 triples, 19 home runs, and 84 RBIs. Bob Dernier was the leadoff hitter and Gold Glove center fielder for the Cubs in 1984, while Sandberg batted second. The pair was dubbed "the Daily Double" by Cubs announcer Harry Caray. In 1984, Sandberg's runs and triples totals led the National League. He was one triple and one home run shy of being the first player in MLB history to collect 200 hits, 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in the same season, and led the Cubs to the National League's Eastern Division title for their first playoff appearance since 1945. The Cubs went on to lose in the National League Championship Series, 3–2 to the San Diego Padres. He was named the National League Most Valuable Player after receiving 22 out of 24 first place votes, the first Cub to do so since Ernie Banks' back-to-back honors in and, and the first for a second baseman since Joe Morgan in.The Sandberg Game
In an NBC national telecast of a Cardinals–Cubs game on June 23, 1984, the Cubs trailed 9–8 in the ninth inning against future Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter, who would save a league-leading 45 games that season. Sandberg slugged a solo home run to left field, tying the game. After the Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning, Sandberg hit a two-run homer against Sutter in the 10th inning to again tie the game. Cubs radio announcer Harry Caray described the home run:Following the home run, NBC play-by-play announcer Bob Costas said: "Do you believe it?". The Cubs won the game in the 11th inning on an RBI single by Dave Owen. Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog later remarked: "Ryne Sandberg is the best baseball player I've ever seen, as far as I'm concerned." The game, commonly known as the Sandberg Game, is also memorable because the Cardinals' Willie McGee hit for the cycle.
1985
In, Sandberg batted.305 with 26 home runs, 83 RBIs, 113 runs scored, and a career-high 54 stolen bases, joining the 20–50 club with his combination of power and speed.1990
In, Sandberg led the National League in home runs with 40, becoming only the third second baseman to reach that mark; Rogers Hornsby and Davey Johnson hit 42, and no American League second baseman had reached 40 until Brian Dozier in 2016. Sandberg also batted in 100 runs, despite batting second in the order. His batting average did not suffer from his new level of power, as he finished at.306 for the season.Sandberg played 123 straight games at second base without an error, which was then a major league record. This record was later broken in 2007 by Luis Castillo of the Minnesota Twins. Sandberg played in front of his hometown fans in the 1990 MLB All-Star Game, which was held at Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs. Sandberg won the Home Run Derby with three home runs over the left-field bleachers. Not until the Cincinnati Reds' Todd Frazier in did another player win the Home Run Derby in his own home stadium.