Ron Santo
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1960-1974)
Ron Santo was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974 for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 15 seasons. In 2,243 career games, he hit .277 with 2,254 hits, 342 home runs, and 1,331 RBI. Ron Santo was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012 and was a 9-time All-Star and a 5-time Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 33,743.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- Died
- 12/2/2010 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1960-06-26
- Last Game
- 1974-09-29
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 2012 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 9× All-Star · 5× Gold Glove
Full name: Ronald Edward Santo
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,243 | 8,143 | 1,138 | 2,254 | 365 | 67 | 342 | 1,331 | 35 | 1,108 | 1,343 | .277 | .362 | .464 | .826 | 33,743 |
Career AVG .277 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +10.7% above league average.
Career OBP .362 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.
Career SLG .464 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — +24.5% above league average.
Career OPS .826 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — +19.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | CHN | NL | 95 | 347 | 44 | 87 | 24 | 2 | 9 | 44 | 0 | 31 | 44 | .251 | .255 (-2%) | .323 (-4%) | .387 (+6%) | .711 (+1%) | 1.1 |
| 1961 | CHN | NL | 154 | 578 | 84 | 164 | 32 | 6 | 23 | 83 | 2 | 73 | 77 | .284 | .258 (+10%) | .328 (+10%) | .399 (+20%) | .727 (+16%) | 1886.9 |
| 1962 | CHN | NL | 162 | 604 | 44 | 137 | 20 | 4 | 17 | 83 | 4 | 65 | 94 | .227 | .257 (-12%) | .326 (-7%) | .393 (-9%) | .719 (-8%) | -812.5 |
| 1963 | CHN | NL | 162 | 630 | 79 | 187 | 29 | 6 | 25 | 99 | 6 | 42 | 92 | .297 | .246 (+21%) | .308 (+10%) | .371 (+29%) | .680 (+20%) | 2293.7 |
| 1964 | CHN | NL | 161 | 592 | 94 | 185 | 33 | 13 | 30 | 114 | 3 | 86 | 96 | .312 | .250 (+25%) | .312 (+27%) | .377 (+49%) | .690 (+39%) | 4689.1 |
| 1965 | CHN | NL | 164 | 608 | 88 | 173 | 30 | 4 | 33 | 101 | 3 | 88 | 109 | .285 | .245 (+16%) | .310 (+22%) | .371 (+37%) | .682 (+30%) | 3780.4 |
| 1966 | CHN | NL | 155 | 561 | 93 | 175 | 21 | 8 | 30 | 94 | 4 | 95 | 78 | .312 | .248 (+26%) | .309 (+33%) | .376 (+43%) | .685 (+39%) | 4575.7 |
| 1967 | CHN | NL | 161 | 586 | 107 | 176 | 23 | 4 | 31 | 98 | 1 | 96 | 103 | .300 | .242 (+24%) | .306 (+29%) | .357 (+43%) | .663 (+37%) | 4365.8 |
| 1968 | CHN | NL | 162 | 577 | 86 | 142 | 17 | 3 | 26 | 98 | 3 | 96 | 106 | .246 | .236 (+4%) | .298 (+18%) | .340 (+24%) | .638 (+21%) | 2600.2 |
| 1969 | CHN | NL | 160 | 575 | 97 | 166 | 18 | 4 | 29 | 123 | 1 | 96 | 97 | .289 | .248 (+16%) | .320 (+20%) | .369 (+31%) | .689 (+26%) | 3141.3 |
| 1970 | CHN | NL | 154 | 555 | 83 | 148 | 30 | 4 | 26 | 114 | 2 | 92 | 108 | .267 | .253 (+5%) | .325 (+13%) | .385 (+23%) | .711 (+19%) | 2214.4 |
| 1971 | CHN | NL | 154 | 555 | 77 | 148 | 22 | 1 | 21 | 88 | 4 | 79 | 95 | .267 | .249 (+7%) | .316 (+12%) | .365 (+16%) | .682 (+14%) | 1636.7 |
| 1972 | CHN | NL | 133 | 464 | 68 | 140 | 25 | 5 | 17 | 74 | 1 | 69 | 75 | .302 | .243 (+24%) | .310 (+26%) | .353 (+38%) | .664 (+32%) | 2880.3 |
| 1973 | CHN | NL | 149 | 536 | 65 | 143 | 29 | 2 | 20 | 77 | 1 | 63 | 97 | .267 | .256 (+4%) | .325 (+7%) | .378 (+16%) | .703 (+12%) | 1320.8 |
| 1974 | CHA | AL | 117 | 375 | 29 | 83 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 41 | 0 | 37 | 72 | .221 | .256 (-14%) | .324 (-10%) | .369 (-19%) | .693 (-15%) | -831.3 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 2,243 | 8,143 | 1,138 | 2,254 | 365 | 67 | 342 | 1,331 | 35 | 1,108 | 1,343 | .277 | — | — | — | — | 33,743 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2243 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1136 | 4075 | 659 | 1208 | 216 | 743 | .296 |
| Away | 1107 | 4069 | 479 | 1046 | 126 | 588 | .257 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-09-29 | CHW | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-28 | CHW | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-14 | CHW | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1974-09-13 | CHW | LAA | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1974-09-12 | CHW | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-10 | CHW | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-09-08 | CHW | LAA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-09-07 | CHW | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-06 | CHW | LAA | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-09-04 | CHW | KCR | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2B | 42 | 39 | 106 | 107 | 7 | 44 |
| 3B | 2130 | 2116 | 1955 | 4581 | 317 | 395 |
| OF | 8 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SS | 18 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 2 | 7 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | CHN | 3B | 94 | 94 | 78 | 144 | 13 | 6 |
| 1961 | CHN | 3B | 153 | 152 | 157 | 307 | 31 | 41 |
| 1962 | CHN | 3B | 157 | 156 | 161 | 332 | 23 | 33 |
| 1962 | CHN | SS | 8 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 1963 | CHN | 3B | 162 | 162 | 136 | 374 | 26 | 25 |
| 1964 | CHN | 3B | 161 | 161 | 156 | 367 | 20 | 31 |
| 1965 | CHN | 3B | 164 | 164 | 155 | 373 | 24 | 27 |
| 1966 | CHN | 3B | 152 | 151 | 150 | 391 | 25 | 36 |
| 1966 | CHN | SS | 8 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 5 |
| 1967 | CHN | 3B | 161 | 161 | 187 | 393 | 26 | 33 |
| 1968 | CHN | 3B | 162 | 162 | 130 | 378 | 15 | 33 |
| 1969 | CHN | 3B | 160 | 159 | 144 | 334 | 27 | 23 |
| 1970 | CHN | 3B | 152 | 151 | 143 | 320 | 27 | 36 |
| 1970 | CHN | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | CHN | 3B | 149 | 147 | 118 | 274 | 17 | 29 |
| 1971 | CHN | OF | 6 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 | CHN | 2B | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
| 1972 | CHN | 3B | 129 | 128 | 108 | 274 | 21 | 19 |
| 1972 | CHN | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | CHN | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | CHN | 3B | 146 | 146 | 107 | 271 | 20 | 17 |
| 1974 | CHA | 1B | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1974 | CHA | 2B | 39 | 37 | 97 | 99 | 6 | 40 |
| 1974 | CHA | 3B | 28 | 22 | 25 | 49 | 2 | 6 |
| 1974 | CHA | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 3 |
| Second Base | 42 |
| Third Base | 2129 |
| Shortstop | 18 |
| Left Field | 8 |
| Designated Hitter | 47 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | |
| 1973 | Player of the Week | Week of 1973-06-29 |
| 1972 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1969 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1968 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1968 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1967 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1967 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1966 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1966 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1965 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1964 | Gold Glove | 3B |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 5th | 124.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1968 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 24th | 2.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1967 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 4th | 103.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1966 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 23.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 11.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1964 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 59.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 41.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1960 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 4th | 2.0 | 24 | 2 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ron Santo (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Ron Santo
Ron Santo: the record in brief
The profile opens with Ron Santo's first major league game on June 26, 1960; the last one listed came on September 29, 1974. Santo played for the Chicago Cubs (1960 through 1973) and the Chicago White Sox (1974). Santo played primarily as a third baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on February 25, 1940, in Seattle, WA, USA, Santo was listed at 190 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. Santo's death is recorded on December 2, 2010, in Scottsdale, AZ, USA. Ron Santo was the playing name; the full given name is Ronald Edward.
The batting record for Santo: 2,243 games, 2,254 hits in 8,143 at bats, and a .277 average; the totals also include 342 home runs, 1,331 RBI, and 35 stolen bases. Santo's career OPS of .826 combines a .362 on-base mark with .464 slugging. Measured against the leagues Santo played in, the .277 career average compares with a .250 league average over the same seasons, 10.7% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ron Santo
- What years did Ron Santo play?
- Ron Santo played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974.
- Was Ron Santo a pitcher?
- No. Ron Santo was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Ron Santo hit?
- Ron Santo hit 342 career home runs with 2254 hits.
- Is Ron Santo in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Ron Santo was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.
- What was Ron Santo's career batting average?
- Ron Santo batted .277 over his career, with 2,254 hits in 8,143 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ron Santo have?
- Ron Santo drove in 1,331 runs in his career.