Sunday, April 19, 2020

RIP Glenn Beckert


Before Alan Trammel and Lou Whitaker manned the keystone for the Tigers, there were a couple of outstanding SS/2B combos in the National League of the late 1960's when I cut my teeth following games on the radio.  There was Gene Alley and Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates and Don Kissinger and Glenn Beckert for the Cubs.  Meanwhile it didn't seem fair that the Giants were stuck with Hal Lanier and Tito Fuentes.  I mean Tito had some decent seasons but he and Lanier were a far cry from what other teams had on the field.  Even after Chris Speier took over at SS in 1971, it was just not up to the Pirates and Cubs standards.

Glenn Beckert was a mainstay at 2B for the Cubs during my introductory years to major league baseball.  From 1966- 1970, he hit between .280 and .300 every season.  He then had a career year in 1971 batting .345.  After that his career tailed off with an accumulation of injuries not a small contribution.  By today's standards, Beckert would be considered to have an empty BA.  He didn't walk much and had almost no power, but in those days, it was extremely unusual for a middle infielder to hit for power.  So, Beckert contributed with good defense and lots of base hits.

Glenn Beckert was not a superstar or hall of fame by any stretch, but he was a solid player and a recognizable name from my childhood store of baseball memories.  He died of "natural causes" last week in Florida at the age of 79.  RIP.
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3 comments:

  1. Scott ThompsonApril 19, 2020 at 12:06 PM

    I remember that Cubs squad well. Along with Becket and Kessinger, there was Santo at 3B, Banks at 1B, Hundley C, Billy Williams in LF, Adolfo Phillips in CF, Fergeson Jenkins on the bump and a cast of thousands in RF. I can almost hear Lon Simmons giving us the lineup to start the game. Damn, we had it good!

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    1. LGApril 19, 2020 at 2:02 PM

      I remember Beckett along with other Cubs players during my baseball card collecting days. In fact I remember a Cubs player by the name of Scott Thompson a left-handed hitting outfielder who played for the Giants as well during his career. Good time to mention it since we're talking about former Cubbies!

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  2. AnonymousApril 20, 2020 at 2:21 AM

    Grew up a Bay Area Cubs fan 'til switching allegiance to G's in '00, and, yeah, their infield was strong - as was Beckert. '69 was a nightmare, but the team had talent, and Banks was my guy. Never forget going to a typical freezing, zero-attendance Candlestick night game, getting a foul ball, then coming the next day and getting Ernie to sign it...as big a smile as any kid could have!

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