| Ron Santo | |
|---|---|
 Santo with the Chicago Cubs in 1969 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: February 25, 1940 Seattle, Washington, U.S. | |
| Died: December 3, 2010 (aged 70) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 26, 1960, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1974, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .277 |
| Hits | 2,254 |
| Home runs | 342 |
| Runs batted in | 1,331 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2012 |
| Vote | 93.8% |
| Election method | Golden Era Committee |
Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974.[1] In 1990, Santo became a member of the Cubs broadcasting team providing commentary for Cubs games on WGN radio and remained at that position until his death in 2010.[2] In 1999, he was selected to the Cubs All-Century Team. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.[3]
Santo was an All-Star for nine seasons during his 15-year career. He led the National League (NL) in triples one time, in walks four times, and in on-base percentage two times.[1] He batted .300 or more and hit 30 or more home runs four times each, and is the only third baseman in MLB history to post eight consecutive seasons with over 90 runs batted in (RBI) (1963–70).[1]
He also was a Gold Glove Award winner for five consecutive seasons.[4] He led the NL in total chances eight times, in games, putouts and assists seven times each, and in double plays six times. From 1966 to 1974, he held the NL record for assists in a single season. He also set NL records for career assists (4,532), total chances (6,777) and double plays (389) at third base, all of which were eventually broken between 1986 and 1988 by Mike Schmidt. His NL total of 2,102 games at third base is 52 short of Eddie Mathews' league record, and he ranks sixth in putouts (1,930) and ninth in fielding percentage (.954).[5]
Santo enjoyed his success despite battling diabetes since he was a teenager, a condition which was concealed from the public until 1971; it eventually necessitated the amputation of the lower half of both his legs.[2] Since 1979, Santo endorsed the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes in Chicago. He helped raise over $65 million for the foundation. In 2002, he was named the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Person of the Year."[6]
- ^ a b c "Ron Santo Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b Ron Santo - Baseballbiography.com
- ^ "Santo, Ron". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
- ^ Rawlings Gold Glove Award
- ^ National League Gold Glove Award winners at Baseball Reference
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Ron Santo Uniform Number to be Retired at Baseball Almanacwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).