The Veterans’ Committee just announced that the late Ron Santo has been elected to the Hall of Fame.
Santo was eligible as part of the new “Golden Era” ballot, which considered candidates from the 1947-1972 era. Others eligible included Minnie Minoso, Buzzie Bavasi, Jim Kaat, Allie Reynolds, Ken Boyer, Luis Tiant, Charlie Finley, Gil Hodges and Tony Oliva, but Santo was the only one to get the required number of votes.
12 votes were needed to secure election. Santo received 15 out of 16 votes. Kaat fell just short with 10 votes while Minoso and Hodges each received nine.
Santo’s election is considered long overdue by most. One of the best third baseman of his era, he had a .277/.362/.464 batting line over 15 seasons in the majors (14 seasons with the Cubs, one with the White Sox) to go along with 342 lifetime home runs and 1331 RBI. Santo’s highest vote total for the Hall of Fame was 43.1 percent in 1998, which was his last year on the ballot. It’s nice to see the Veterans Committee right a major wrong, as he was one of the best players at his position not in the Hall of Fame, but it’s truly a shame that he didn’t live to see the day.