We all have heard of the exploits of Ryne Sandberg during his 13 plus year career, but what got him into the HOF, the main argument about it is that he never was on a World Series winning team . . . but there have been dozens od players that have gotten in without ever going to a WS.

Was it his defensive accomplishments? 212 straight games without an error of any kind?

Or his awards . . . 13 Gold Gloves at 2nd base, and 13 straight All-Star appearences?

Or do you think that the writers had a heart, and just let him in for no good reason?

Or, was it a combination of things that brought "Ryno" into the HOF?

Several factors:

The ones you mentioned, ofr sure. His defense was outstanding, he has an annual all-star, and a very good hitter.

What really got him in though are two factors.

First, it is playing second base. Historically second basemen are weak offensively. Save a few exceptions (Morgan, Hornsby, Lopes, etc.), there haven't been that many great power and average hitters at that position. Ryno was one. While he was never a 40 homer guy like Davey Johnson,. he did have very good pop, and he annually hit .300.

Secondly, it was Ryno's performance during the era he played. Ryno played in the 1980s, when offensive numbers were a shadow of where they are today. Ryno was the best at his position for the majority of his career. There really aren't any secondbasemen from the 1980s that can come close to putting up the numbers he did. Tim Raines would have, but he moved to OF.

Ryno, like Ripken, was ahead of his time. He altered the template of the middle infielder from small-statured, slick fielders with speed but no bat into larger five tool players that could genuinely slug.
While his numbers as a 2b may look more pedestrian compared to some of today's studs, when Ryno played he was one of a kind.

That factor is crucial for HOF voters, and why guys like Biggio and Santo will have trouble getting in. "Best in the game when you played" is one of the most siginficant factors voters weigh.

cause hes just that good b**ch

His fielding was excellent and I believe at the time of his retirement, he held the record for most Home Runs by a 2nd baseman.

His numbers aren't staggering, but he was just an outstanding player for a long time.

He won an MVP, 9 straight Gold Gloves, and the admiration not only of fans but opponents. He was a great defensive player, and he had power that's rare from a second baseman. And although he never got to play in the World Series, it wasn't for lack of performance in the playoffs - he hit .385 in two playoff appearances.

I'm usually a pretty heavy-on-the-stats guy, but they really don't tell the whole story with Sandberg. He's a guy who didn't always play flashy, but he always played well.

His defensive skills were a big part of why he is in the HOF. However, we can't forget that he put up some pretty remarkable offensive numbers too. He had 280 home runs, which is a total that is basically unheard of for a second baseman, in fact I think he is 2nd All-time in home runs as a 2nd baseman. He also had over 2300 hits and over 300 steals. He also won the NL MVP in 1984.

h_charles -- Sandberg hit 40 HR's in 1990.
.