Will the Veterans Committee ever select Ron Santo for the Hall of Fame? He is a definite Hall of Famer.?

Question

Santo played for the Cubs from 1960-1974 and had 2,254 hits, 365 DB's, 342 HR's, 1,138 Runs, 1,331 RBI's and .277 BA. Santo was a 5 time gold glove winner at third-base and a 9 time all-star. His career was cut short because of diabetes. Is he a Hall of Famer? I say yes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Santo

Answer 1

Solid MLB player but not HOF caliber.  Stranger things have happened but I say he comes up short once again.

Answer 2

No ,he had diabetes yes but he took insulin like all other players that had diabetes did and was just fine when he was playing so that should not have anything to do with it. He never led the league in any stat that was worth remembering (walks, sacrifice flies and grounding into the most double plays is it!). He was never an MVP and none of his numbers are Hall of Fame worthy.  He was an above average player in his era but not a Hall of Famer. Heck lets put Dave Kingman and Ted Simmons in too if that's the case. They were not Hall of Famers either. And asking this question a hundred times is still not going to get him elected so why don't you stop and save time!!

Answer 3

Ron Santo Should be a Hall Of Famer.

He was a better hitter than a number of Hall of Fame third basemen, including Pie Traynor, Jimmy Collins and Brooks Robinson

He's No. 8 on the all-time list for games played at third base. So you've got a good defensive player who ranks among the best at his position in terms of hitting and career length. Doesn't that sound like a Hall of Famer to you?

If you look at all the third basemen who played between 1950 and 1975, Ron ranks second in HRs, third in hits, RBIs and games played, fourth in slugging, and seventh in on-base percentage.

He also played with diabetes in his last 3 years and he still put up Hall of Fame quality numbers......

This man should be in the Hall and I hope he gets there to his rightful place soon.

Answer 4

I think Santo delivered a Hall-class career, and I'm not alone in this. That he played in an offensively low era, the 1960s, makes his raw stats look wanting, but they are not so. He was underappreciated in his own time and still is today.

He was on the BBWAA ballot for the full 15 cycles, and peaked at 43.1% in his final year of eligibility. In three ballots before the previous VC, 2003-07, he had 56.8% (third highest return), 65.0% (highest return), and 69.5% (highest return) -- so that edition of the VC, which was mostly HOF players, saw him in better light but still not enough.

The new VC, which hasn't yet cast ballots for former players, is now completely HOF honorees, an electorate composed almost completely of retired players (a few managers, a few executives, but even most of them played at some point). I strongly consider Santo to be The Best Player Not In The Hall -- a title which, granted, SOMEONE has to hold -- and I really want to see him get the plaque which is his due.

But... but, foo, if THIS edition of the Veterans Committee won't vote him in (presuming he gets on the ballot, which is hard to imagine otherwise), and even now I'll give them two cycles to get it right, then maybe it really is time to move on and take a deeper look at other candidates. Santo and his career have been so thoroughly dissected that I don't know what else can be held forth in his favor that would be any the more convincing; only Jim Rice gets it shoveled higher.

If THIS VC won't elect Santo, I cannot see what options remain. (Though it would help make the case that the VC has outlived its usefulness and should be disbanded permanently.)

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Living HOFers (62):

Players (58): Aaron, Aparicio, Banks, Bench, Berra, Boggs, Brett, Brock, Bunning, Carew, Carlton, Carter, Cepeda, Doerr, Eckersley, Feller, Fingers, Fisk, Ford, Gibson, Gwynn, Irvin, Jackson, Jenkins, Kaline, Kell, Killebrew, Kiner, Koufax, Marichal, Mays, Mazeroski, McCovey, Molitor, Morgan, Murray, Musial, Niekro, Palmer, Perez, Perry, Ripken, Roberts, B. Robinson, F. Robinson, Ryan, Sandberg, Schmidt, Schoendienst, Seaver, O. Smith, Snider, Sutter, Sutton, B. Williams, Winfield, Yastrzemski, Yount.

Managers (3):

Anderson (played), Lasorda (played), Weaver.

Other (1):

L. MacPhail.

Presuming 2008 honorees Goose Gossage and d**k Williams (who did play) get to vote in December, that bumps the populations to 64 living, 59 players, 4 managers, 1 executive. Sixty-four possible voters, 62 of whom played (at least a bit, and most extensively) on the field at the major league level. If such a peer group still denies Santo, I think that's gonna have to be the standing decision for history.

Be fair, men. Ron Santo was, and is, equal to your group.

Answer 5

the most unknown super star player to ever play the game.  problem was baltimore had brooks robinson , the cubs not a winning team . he has unjustifly been over looked . the hall is full of less deserving players . both chicago teams have been over looked . on a new york team  instant . national league players are overlooked . designated hitters , hall of fame . one of the top 7 third baseman of all time , not in . i am in my 60s . this is just stupid . he deserved first ballot . i am diabetic also. he played last 3 seasons no knowledge . of this terrible disease . it is wrong .

Answer 6

I never liked him as a player, but he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. His batting stats are severely compromised by the fact he played during the 60's when conditions of the game greatly favored pitchers. Move him into the 50's or 70's and let him compile stats relative to those eras and there would be no question of his election because he would already be in.

Answer 7

I love Santo, but I think he's a borderline hall of famer at best. The arguments in his favour usually compare him to weak players who are in the hall but probably don't really deserve the honour. I do not buy that line of thinking, it will only lead to dilution of the HOF and what it stands for.

Santo may not be a true Hall of Famer based on his playing career, but this weekend they will unveil the Buck O'Neill Lifetime Achievement award. This award will provide a way for acknowledgment by the HOF with achieving membership. Taking into account Santo's career, his diabetes, and all he has done since his playing days ended as an announcer and a general ambassador for the game, I believe Ron Santo would be an ideal candidate for the lifetime achievement award.

Mr. O'Neill will deservedly win the first Buck O'Neill award himself. The award can only be given out every three years, so perhaps in 2011 Ron Santo can be acknowledged.

Answer 8

As usual, Chipmaker is correct.

I put Santo in. He is one of the top 3rd basemen in history, something the anti-Santo people seem to overlook. He was basically the best 3rd baseman in the NL during his time and only second to Brooks. Why he's not in is a mystery but what's even more a mystery to me is why there are people who say he shouldn't be in.

Answer 9

I think he should be in and have always thought so, but with each passing year I'm afraid he's not going to make it.

Answer 10

at the time he retired he was #2 in stats for a 3rd baseman, he should have been in long before Mike Schmidt.

Paul / unrelated - he took insulin like all the other player that had diabetes did? where did you come up w/ THAT stat / info? He hid the fact that he had it for most of his career due to the fact that