Remembering Ryne Sandberg, the key player in possibly the worst trade in Phillies’ history

Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg died on Monday July after a long battle with cancer at age Sandberg spent the greater part of his career as a second baseman with the Chicago Cubs Yet for numerous Phillies fans Sandberg is the ultimate we let him get away moment in the crew s -year history With great sadness we share that Ryne Sandberg has passed away in the current era pic twitter com LJJ jGqSy Chicago Cubs Cubs July Sandberg was drafted by the Phils in the th round of the amateur draft and made his major league debut with the Phillies in September As a rookie he played just games collecting a single hit ironically at Wrigley Field in Chicago The Phillies front office saw Sandberg as a utility infielder nothing more Cubs general manager Dallas Green had been with the Phillies when they drafted Sandberg and liked his upside So when the Phillies traded shortstop Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Ivan DeJesus in January Green demanded for and the Phils agreed to include the -year-old Sandberg as a throw-in pic twitter com lDL diCYcL Philadelphia Phillies Phillies July The rest as they say is history Sandberg blossomed into one of the best players and people of his baseball generation He finished his career with a lifetime batting average of with home runs a major league record for his position Golden Gloves for fielding excellence and the The greater part Valuable Competitor Award in Phillies fans meanwhile lamented what might have been if only the crew kept Ryno though it s fair to remember that the Phillies with DeJesus did reach the World Series where they lost to the Baltimore Orioles Sandberg did return to the Phillies after his playing career ended as a minor league manager and he served as manager of the big-league club from to not one of the association s better stretches He finished with a recordm and stepped down after enduring a -loss season Eleven years ago this past Sunday Ryne Sandberg wore this jersey as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies he later signed dated the back The present day I am wearing it in his honor pic twitter com YkCihNQpHs Pete Seat PeteSeat July Through it all Sandberg was respected in the organization for his steady leadership and emphasis on fundamentals Not only was he a Hall of Famer he was a man who personified class and dignity Phillies owner John Middleton commented in a report We were honored that he was part of our organization The post Remembering Ryne Sandberg the key competitor in possibly the worst arrangement in Phillies history appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY