5 Reasons Why Ron Santo Belongs In The Hall Of Fame

Ron Santo has been denied so many times for the Hall of Fame most people have lost track. What this travesty does is make people wonder why he has not made it and is often great discussion near water coolers at work especially lately with his untimely death. We think he has not only the statistics to merit entry but the overall contributions to the game to put the icing on the cake. We analyze the top 5 reasons we think Ron Santo is a Hall of Famer.

Reason 1) There are 10 Hall of Fame 3rd basemen inducted currently and Santo's statistics would put him in the Top 5. In 15 seasons, Santo batted.277 with 342 homers and 1,331 RBI. He was a nine-time All-Star selection. The home runs are 84th all time in MLB history and the RBI's 86th.

Reason 2) He accumulated these statistics while battling diabetes which in itself was unheard of for athletes during those this era. He kept this a secret for a large majority of his career.

Reason 3) 1969 and his teammates should not be a factor. Most baseball fans know of the 1969 collapse but the more important issue is from those late 60's early 70's Cub team there are 3 current Hall of Fame players that were on those teams: Ferguson Jenkins, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks. Don't penalize Santo because none of those teams won anything.

Reason 4) Ron Santo was hired in 1990 to be the team's radio analyst. 15 years playing with the Cubs and 20 years broadcasting would have gotten a lot of people in the Hall of Fame based on "contributions to the game". Why is Ron Santo held do a different standard?

Reason 5) He played the game "hard" and sometimes that annoyed fellow ball players. Why is that factor on why he would not be voted in to the HOF? Integrity in playing the game of baseball should be one of the greatest attributes in defining a HOF player. There are many players who are not liked who were enshrined. Ron Santo played the game correctly.

These 5 reasons are just some of the many reasons why Ron Santo belongs in the Hall of Fame. Not only was he a great baseball player but his off the field accomplishments whether it was part of the Cubs radio broadcasts or the money he helped raise to fight for a cure of diabetes are simply "icing on the cake" when discussing Ron Santo's well deserved resume for Cooperstown Hall of Fame.