January 22, 2024
Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer / MCT / Sipa USA
Ryne Sandberg managed the Phillies from 2013-2015.
Ryne Sandberg is battling metastatic prostate cancer, the former Phillies prospect and then manager announced on Monday.
Sandberg, 64, was drafted by the Phillies in 1978 and was projected to become one of their next stars, but as an infielder who could jump between second and third, he was positionally blocked by established starters Manny Trillo and Mike Schmidt either way, leading him to be dealt to the Chicago Cubs ahead of the 1982 season.
We're with you, Ryno. 💙 pic.twitter.com/JmJLoXTTl1
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) January 22, 2024
In Wrigleyville, he put together a Hall of Fame career, batting .285 with 2,386 hits, 282 homers, and 344 stolen bases over a 15-year run, which included 10 All-Star nods, nine Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers, and the 1984 NL MVP award.
After his playing days, Sandberg rose up the coaching ladder in the minor leagues first within the Cubs organization and then through a return to the Phillies, doing so while at one point becoming one of the hottest managerial candidates in baseball.
Late into the 2013 season, after it was clear the Phillies' golden era had ended and beloved manager Charlie Manuel was fired, Sandberg was promoted in the interim and soon after given the full-time status.
However, it was the wrong place at the wrong time. The aging Phillies weren't competitive anymore, his decision-making as the skipper never struck a chord, and with the organization coming to grips with the fact that it needed to start over, Sandberg resigned from his post in June 2015 to hand the reins over to Pete Mackanin.
Sandberg has kept away from the major league coaching scene in the time since, mostly appearing as public face back in Chicago for the Cubs, where he established his Hall of Fame career.
Statement from Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the Board of Directors: pic.twitter.com/bDG0XWlVZN
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) January 22, 2024
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