Another former Major League Baseball Player has gone on to that “Diamond in the Sky”:Chicago Cubs second baseman Glenn Beckert gone at age 79

Last week it was Al Kaline, the former Detroit Tigers’ slugger, and this week it is Glenn Beckert, a former Chicago Cubs’ second baseman, and Beckert was an outstanding defensive second baseman, and he had enough bat awareness to make him one of the toughest “outs” in all of the major leagues during a key stretch, back in 1970’s….Beckert could also run the bases and early in his career he would lead the majors, in runs scored for a season….

In a baseball poll, Glenn Beckert was named the Chicago Cubs’ fifth-best all-time second baseman…The Top-Five order went like this:
1)Ryne Sandberg…1982-1987
**********We thought this was a neat note on Ryne Sandberg:Sandberg’s signature moment came in the 1984 season, which ended with him winning the National League MVP Award. On June 23 that summer, the second baseman turned in a performance forever known as “The Ryne Sandberg Game” among Cubs fans. He collected five hits, launched two homers and knocked in seven runs in a 12-11 win over the rival Cardinals.***********
2)Billy Herman…1931-1941
3)Johnny Evers…1902-1931
4)Rogers Hornsby…1929-1932
5)Glenn Beckert…1965-1973
(Here’s what the poll people were saying about Glenn Beckert….Beckert was the Cubs’ Opening Day second baseman eight times, hitting his stride as a player in the late 1960s. He was named to four National league All-Star teams from ’69-72, won a Gold Glove Award in ’68 and amassed 16.4 WAR (Baseball Reference) in his Cubs career. An up-the-middle partner for shortstop Don Kessinger, Beckert hit at a .283 clip over his 11-year career in the big leagues.)
You stop and think about pure double-team combos from back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and with Don Kessinger working with Glenn Beckert, you had one of the best middle infield tandems in all of baseball….Those two, Kessinger and Beckert, had defense written all over them…

++++++++++Other Cubs second basemen you may remember would possibly include, Manny Trillo and Ben Zobrist…I know for a fact that I remember Manny Trillo and I remember him well….The thing that sticks out to me about Glenn Beckert was his Topps Baseball Cards…I can still him and also Don Kessinger on those long Topps Baseball Cards, in the back of my mind, even today…++++++++++
$$$ Other Cubs from more recent years, that were talked about at second base included, Todd Walker, Mark DeRosa, and Mark Grudzielanek…$$$

RIP-Glenn Beckert
(Just a great defensive baseball player.)

from www.espn.com:

Former Chicago Cubs second baseman Glenn Beckert died Sunday, the team announced. He was 79.

Beckert spent nine seasons with the Cubs from 1965 to 1973 before finishing his career with two seasons for the San Diego Padres.

In 1968, he led all of baseball with 98 runs scored and also won a Gold Glove. He was selected as an All-Star four straight seasons beginning in 1969.

Cubs’ Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins on Glenn Beckert, on Twitter:

Fergie Jenkins
@fergieajenkins
We lost a great one today, Glenn Beckert. Glenn was My friend, my @Cubs teammate, and the best man at my wedding. He will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with the Beckert family.

A career .283 hitter, Beckert hit a career-best .342 in 1971 and led the National League five times in strikeout-to-at-bat ratio. The Cubs said he had “a reputation for one of the toughest at-bats in the league.”

More on Glenn Beckert’s career from Wikipedia:
Beckert attended Allegheny College. The Boston Red Sox selected Beckert as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 1962, he was selected by the Chicago Cubs from Red Sox in the first-year minor league draft. He spent three years in the minors as a shortstop, where he led the Pacific Coast League in putouts and assists in 1964. Following the sudden death of Cubs second baseman, Ken Hubbs in 1964, the Cubs brought Beckert to the major leagues as their second baseman for the 1965 season.

Beckert played nine seasons as the Cubs’ second baseman. During his entire Cub tenure, he played alongside shortstop Don Kessinger. Beckert led the National League in assists during his rookie year, and went on to become a four-time All-Star. He was a tough batter, leading the league five times in fewest strikeouts per at bats. In 1968, he led the league in runs and won the National League Gold Glove Award for second baseman. He had his best offensive season in 1971 when he had a .342 batting average to finish third in the National League batting championship behind Joe Torre and Ralph Garr.