Top Ten All Time Chicago Cubs By Position
Third Base — Ron Santo (1960-1973)
Ernie Banks may be forever known as Mr. Cub, but Ron Santo was right up there with him in popularity.
Santo hit .279/.366/.472, with 337 home runs and 1,290 RBI. He had 2,171 hits in 2,126 games with the Cubs. He was a nine-time All-Star and a five-time winner of the Gold Glove. He hit 25 or more home run eight times in his career.
He represented the Chicago Cubs for 50 years as a player, broadcaster, and just an ordinary guy. Santo bled Cubbie blue.
Santo also gained a ton of fans through his fight with diabetes. He is one of the first known athletes to play with the disease. The battle cost him both his legs and ultimately his life. The way he fought and raised funds for diabetes organizations rallied a ton of support, and he was beloved for that almost as much as his athletic achievements.
Santo was a big part of the Hall of Fame core of the Cubs in the 1960’s that included Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, and Billy Williams. They will always be known as the team that should have gone to the playoffs in 1969 when they led for almost the entire season, only to fade at the end and let the New York Mets win the National League East.
From 1990 until his death in 2010, Santo was in the Cubs’ radio booth. He was a Cubs fan first, and that came out in his broadcasts. He cheered heartily at great plays and moaned greatly at the bad ones. He was like a regular Cubs fan, and that came through in every broadcast. People just loved him.
I met Santo just months before his death when I was working with the then-Florida Marlins, and the Cubs were in town. As I was exiting the stadium, he was waiting for his ride.
I introduced myself and had a conversation with him about baseball, the Cubs, and diabetes. My father had the disease and had a leg amputated. It was the best twenty minutes I’ve had.
At the end of the conversation, Mr. Santo asked me to give my father his best and to keep fighting. I will always remember Santo for that.
Next: Shortstop -- Mr. Cub