Happy Birthday to the late and great Hall of Famer Ernie Banks. Playing for 19 seasons, all with the Chicago Cubs, Banks established himself as arguably the greatest player in Cubs’ franchise history. Playing both Shortstop and First Base, he earned the nickname Mr. Cub.

Career Statistics/Accolades (1953-1971):

.274 BA 2,583 HITS 512 HR 1,636 RBI 1,305 RUNS .330 OBP

  • 14x All-Star
  •  2x NL MVP (1958-59)
  •  Gold Glove (1960)

As a Hitter

  What a Slugger! At the plate, Banks had eight seasons in which he drove in 100 or more RBIs and seven seasons in which he hit 30 or more Home Runs. While Banks only had two seasons in which he batted .300 or higher, he had many seasons in which he batted .270 or higher, which is still respectable. For a power hitter, he only had one season in which he struck out 100 or more times. When Banks wasn’t able to hit the ball over the fence, he was able to settle for a hit, averaging almost 170 a year for his career.

As a Fielder

   The first half of his career, as well as his best offensive years, were spent at Shortstop. Banks won his only Gold Glove in 1960 at Shortstop. Spending 1,125 Games and 9,953 Innings at Shortstop, he led all NL Shortstops in Fielding Percentage three times. He moved to First Base full-time in 1962 to make it easier on his body. Spending the rest of his career in the position, he led all First Baseman in Putouts five times, Assists three times, and Double Plays and Fielding Percentage once. Spending 1,259 Games and 10,792.2 Innings there, Banks put up a lifetime .994 Fielding Percentage. It’s fair to say that Banks excelled at two defensive positions. 

Best Years

   Of course, Bank’s best years were his two back-to-back MVP years in 1958-59. In 1958, he led the majors in Home Runs and RBIs, as well as hitting for the highest average of his career. The following year, he eclipsed 40 Home Runs a .300 Average, led the majors in RBIs, and had the highest OBP of his career. Banks had five years with 40 plus HR and 100 RBI; he finished 3rd in the MVP in 1955 and 4th in 1960. 

1958: .313 BA 193 HITS 47 HR 129 RBI 119 RUNS .366 OBP (154 Games) 

1959: .304 BA 179 HITS 45 HR 143 RBI 97 RUNS .374 OBP (155 Games)

Legacy

   Banks was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1983, and rightfully so. His best years offensively put him on Mt. Rushmore of the greatest Shortstops in baseball history. Imagine if Banks played his entire career at First Base, a more offensive position. I’m sure Banks would’ve had a few 50 Home Run seasons. In 1999, he was ranked #27 on The Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Players in baseball history. His #14 is also retired by the Chicago Cubs, as he is remembered as arguably the greatest player in Cubs franchise history.

References

  1. Ernie Banks via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Banks#
  2. Ernie Banks Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bankser01.shtml