Ryne Sandberg Road Blue Throwback Jersey
Cubs Vintage Retro Apparel
Ryne Sandberg had a Hall of Fame Career, there is no doubt about that. What it took for him to make his name in baseball and for an organization to give him a chance is another story. When Ryno first reported to spring training camp in 1982 he was told that he didn't have a chance of cracking the starting lineup. He would have to play third base, even though he had only played 3b 4 times before. This wasn't good news to Ryne, because it can take years to learn the position. Ryne Sandberg only had a few months, and he was a 21 year old rookie at the time.
There was work that must be done. There wasn't time to be nervous. So, instead, of worrying about the things that may have impeded his path to MLB stardom, he just grabbed his glove, nodded his head, and started taking ground balls at third base. With very little experience, Ryno had only committed 11 errors, the 2nd fewest of any National League 3rd baseman.
Cubs management, knowing that they have stumbled across a special player, who thought about the teams welfare, above his own future, rewarded Sandberg and they moved him to second base. He became the first player in MLB history to win a Gold Glove in his very first year at a new position.
Ryne Sandberg shined every time management needed him to rise to meet the expectations that they had for him. In spring training of 1984, they told him that they needed some more power out of his batting stroke. He needed to start hitting for power. Instead, of complaining about management trying to change him, what did he do? He grabbed a baseball bat and started on his new power swing. So, what was the result? Ryne Sandberg won the NL MVP award hitting 19 home runs, 84 runs batted in, 114 runs scored, and a .314 batting average.
