Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg passes away at 65

The Washington product would earn consecutive All-Star honours from 1984 through 1993, and would lead the National League in runs three separate times (1984, 1989, and 1990) while also leading the league in triples in 1984 with 19. Sanberg would earn the MVP Award in 1984 as well, while also taking home seven Silver Slugger Awards.

A second baseman for most of his career, Sandberg was known for his defensive ability on the right side of the bag. He would accumulate nine Gold Glove honours for his efforts and led the league in assists over seven times. He would finish his career with a stellar .989 fielding percentage, making just 109 errors through 17231 2/3 innings at the position.

In June of 1994, Sandberg announced his retirement from the game and would not play in 1995. He would ultimately return to the diamond in 1996, spending two more seasons with the Cubs before officially retiring for good.

The Cubs legend would return to the organization in 2007, becoming the manager for the single-A Peoria Chiefs. Two years later, he was moved to double-A, taking over the Tennessee Smokies squad. Another promotion would follow in 2009, where he managed the Iowa Cubs. In 2011, he became the manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ triple-A affiliate, and eventually found his way to being the Phillies’ interim manager on August 16th, 2013. He became the club’s full-time manager a month later, with the interim tag being removed, and would post a 119-159 record before stepping down on June 26th, 2015.

Sandberg would be named to the Hall of Fame in 2005, receiving 76.2% of the vote on his third year on the ballot. That same year, the Cubs retired his #23 in a ceremony at Wrigley Field.

A profilic hitter and a defensive wizard on the field, Sandberg currently sits third in Cubs history in bWAR (68.1), fourth in games played (2151), runs scored (1316), hits (2385), stolen bases, and doubles (403), fifth in home runs, seventh in RBIs, and ninth in walks (761).