Former Cubs All-star infielder passes away |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs are saddened to learn of the death of former infielder Glenn Beckert. Beckert passed away this morning in Florida at the age of 79.
The club issued the following statement today in Beckert’s memory: “Glenn Beckert was a wonderful person who also happened to be an excellent ballplayer. He was a mainstay at second base for the Cubs for nine seasons from 1965-73, earning a spot on four All-Star teams and a reputation for one of the toughest at-bats in the league as evidenced by his low strikeout rate. Glenn more than held his own playing alongside future Hall of Famers and won a Gold Glove for defensive excellence at second base in 1968. “After his playing days concluded, Glenn was a familiar sight at Wrigley Field and numerous Cubs Conventions, and he always had a memory to share of his time on-and-off the field with his beloved teammates. We offer our deepest condolences to Glenn’s daughters, Tracy Seaman and Dana Starck, his longtime partner Marybruce Standley and his many, many friends.” Beckert was a career .283 hitter (1,473-for-5,208) in 11 major league seasons with the Cubs (1965-73) and San Diego Padres (1974-75). He led the National League five times by posting the best strikeout-to-at-bat ratio and finished third in the league in batting average when he hit a career-best .342 in 1971. My condolences to the Beckert Family....Glenn was a part of my Adopt-a-Legend Program with the Rays in Port Charlotte....so proud of his minimal strikeouts..we spoke about that often...an all time Cub great ....a Gentleman and friend... https://t.co/f1gsPWrxqo 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. pic.twitter.com/JYgadyLPK8 Who remembers Glenn Beckert 2B @Cubs? He was 4X AA, GG, part of the Santo, Kessinger, Banks infield. Led NL w 98 runs in '68, batted .342 in '71, fanned just 243X in 5572 PAs. His @sabr bio https://t.co/g9GReQuqhi pic.twitter.com/A9he1ZwVO7 The Boys of Summer: Beck, Fergie, Ernie, Billy, Ronnie and Randy at Billy Williams statue dedication. pic.twitter.com/50oAvOJpbj