Chicago Cubs: 25 best all-time players in franchise history

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 2 – Ron Santo

WAR: 71.9

Maybe it’s my grandma telling me stories about him, getting to know him as the team’s radio color man or watching grainy videos of him back in the day, but for whatever reason, Ron Santo has always been my favorite player.

Similar to Banks, he just had this relentless energy and never-tiring persistence on the diamond. And, for Santo, it went far beyond that as he secretly battled diabetes and its effect for years – all while putting up All-Star-caliber numbers.

Santo spent all but one year of his career on the North Side of Chicago – earning nine All-Star nods and five Gold Gloves. A force at the dish and the hot corner, he did it all for some pretty awful Cubs teams, seeing glimmers of hope only to endure more losing in the end.

He led the league in walks on four separate occasions and OBP twice – but despite everything he accomplished, Santo never got his due until it was far too late. Although he saw his number 10 retired by the Cubs, he never saw his plaque unveiled at Cooperstown. He was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012 – a tragedy for all those who knew his love of the game.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Nine-time All-Star
• Five-time Gold Glove Winner