Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who was a fixture at the position for the Chicago Cubs for all but one of his 16 major-league seasons, has died at the age of 65, the team announced on Monday, July 28.
Sandberg publicly revealed on Jan. 23, 2024, that he had begun treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. That May, he announced that he was cancer-free before sharing on social media in December that the cancer had returned and spread to other organs.
A 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove award winner, Sandberg blazed a trail in the 1980s for a wave of power-hitting middle infielders who would come along later.
“Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball,’ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. ‘He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic.’
At the time he retired as a player (for the second time), Sandberg held the major league record for career home runs by a second baseman with 282. And his seven Silver Slugger awards are the most ever at the position. Sandberg finished his career with 2,386 hits, a .282 batting average and 344 stolen bases.
A native of Spokane, Washington, Sandberg was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school in the 20th round of the 1978 draft.
He made his MLB debut in 1981 as a September call-up, playing in 13 games and getting a total of six plate appearances. That winter he was involved in a trade that would change the course of baseball history.
With Sandberg seemingly blocked by veteran second baseman Manny Trillo and third baseman Mike Schmidt, the Phillies sent him, along with veteran shortstop Larry Bowa, to the Cubs for shortstop Iván de Jesús.
The next season, the 22-year-old Sandberg became the everyday starter for the Cubs at third base – before moving to second for good in 1983 and winning the first of his nine Gold Gloves.
Sandberg was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1984, hitting .314 with 19 homers, 32 stolen bases and a league-leading 114 runs scored as the Cubs won the NL East division title and reached the playoffs for the first time in 39 years.
That season also marked the first of 10 consecutive All-Star appearances for Sandberg.
His best was yet to come.
After leading the Cubs to another division title in 1989, Sandberg followed it up by hitting .306 and leading the NL with a career-high 40 home runs. He also led the league in runs scored (116) and total bases (344).
However, the Cubs fell back into their traditional state of mediocrity, and Sandberg never again played in the postseason.
After playing in just 54 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season, Sandberg announced his retirement at age 34.
But after sitting out the ’95 season, he returned to play two more productive but mostly uneventful seasons.
Perhaps the biggest highlight was surpassing Joe Morgan for the most home runs in baseball history by a second baseman, a feat he accomplished in his final year.
His career .989 fielding percentage was also a major-league record for a second baseman when he retired.
Sandberg was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his third try, joining Wade Boggs in Cooperstown as a member of the Class of 2005.
Even after his induction into the Hall, Sandberg remained connected to the game.
The following year, 2006, he began his career as a manager with the Peoria (Ill.) Chiefs, the Cubs’ Class-A affiliate in the Midwest League.
From there he moved up the organizational ladder and was a candidate to replace the retiring Lou Piniella as Cubs manager, but the job went to interim skipper Mike Quade.
Disappointed at not getting the job, Sandberg left the Cubs organization and caught on with the franchise that originally drafted him, the Phillies.
After two years managing in the minors, he was promoted to the major-league staff in 2013 and took over as interim manager when Charlie Manuel was fired.
Over parts of three seasons under Sandberg, the Phillies went 119-159 (.428) and never finished higher than fourth place. He resigned June 26, 2015, and eventually returned to the Cubs organization – where he served as a team ambassador and occasional color commentator on the team’s television broadcasts.
‘His many friends across the game were in his corner as he courageously fought cancer in recent years,’ Manfred said. ‘We will continue to support the important work of Stand Up To Cancer in Ryne’s memory.’
(This story was updated to include video.)