#92 Ron Santo

Ron Santo
3B
1960-1974
9 Time All Star, 5 Gold Gloves
Baseball Hall of Fame

Our first contestant on "This Guy is Way Better Than I Thought". I wasn't alive for Ron Santo's career and in my mind I sort of lumped him in with Ron Cey and Steve Garvey and guys like that. Really good but not legendary. Well in doing this research I found the most consistent third baseman of the 70s certainly in the National League and a guy who would be mentioned in the same breath as Brooks Robinson if the Cubs had just been a little better.

Consistency is the thing with Santo. From 1962 to 1969 he averaged 160.8 games played a year! As we've talked about the 60s being not a great offensive era, but he posted 4 30 homer seasons and another of 29. He also lead the league in walks 4 times. Won 5 Gold Gloves and posted a career .277 average.

He retired at 34 but having played in a ton of games. Spent all but 1 year with the Cubs which he spent on the South Side with the White Sox. 

He twice finished in the top 5 for MVP voting and was named to 9 All Star teams. 

In one of the worst cases of Hall of Fame malpractice he wasn't inducted until 2012 which was 2 years after his death. 

If you're talking all time greats at third base, do some reading on Ron Santo, I'm glad I did. 



Anthony Leonelli is a 37 year old College Baseball Coach and amateur baseball arguer. If you wanna know how this list came together check here criteria. He thinks that George Brett winning batting titles in 3 decades is pretty awesome. 




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