October 12, 1940 - April 12, 2020
I hate to keep doing this. But Glenn Beckert was part of my childhood and I couldn't let his passing go without a small tribute. We are living in difficult times now. He was in hospice in Florida with dementia when he passed away. It was heartbreaking to read how his daughters were unable to visit him due to the Corona Virus.
He was a Gold Glove, a four-time All-Star and an important part of the ill-fated 1969 Cubs. Most impressive was his low strikeout to at-bat ratio. He led the league 5 times and placed in the top ten every year from 1965-1972. To put it into perspective as to how much the game has changed, the player with the most at-bats to strikeouts in 2019 was the Orioles utility infielder, Hanser Alberto. He averaged 1 strikeout in every 10.5 at-bats. Beckert's career average was 1 strikeout in every 21.4 at-bats.
Four years ago, when Milt Pappas passed away I found this photo of Pappas and Beckert at the 100 year celebration at Wrigley Field in 2014.
I've created a few cards of Glenn Beckert over the years. Here they are once again.
Again a very tribute. I remember the Cubs were reeling from the loss of their talented young second baseman Ken Hubbs when he died in a plane crash. Then along came Glenn Beckert a year later to fill the gaping hole in their infield. So sad that his family was unable to visit him on top of the sadness of their loss.
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