Lynne Kiesling
So Ray Gifford thinks I'm going to defend Ryne Sandberg's election to the Hall of Fame because "he's dreamy." Instead, here's how I'll defend it:
Average fielding percentage over 16 seasons of 0.989
Selection for the All-Star Game 10 years in a row, 1984-1993
NL Gold Glove second baseman every year for nine years, 1983-1991
NL MVP 1984
A top-10 batting average in 4 of his 16 seasons, even though he was never a superlative hitter
(Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com)
I would've voted for him, even though contra Ray's speculation, Ryno's not my type. Too pretty. Plus I have more of a thing for cyclists and runners.
Congratulations to Ryne Sandberg! Go Cubs!
Not a superlative hitter?! You do our man injustice - he was one of the the top ten hitting second basemen of all time.
Trent,
I think the statistic that best supports your claim is his consistency in earned runs. He was great at getting on base and creating opportunities for hitters behind him to get him home.
By not a "superlative hitter" I mean that he wasn't flashy or hitting above .300 for major parts of his career or anything like that. But he was a solid, consistent hitter who could get on base.