Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins Reveals Former Cubs Teammate Glenn Beckert Has Passed Away
By Mark Powell
The baseball world has lost another one of its stars, this time from the North Side of Chicago.
Longtime Chicago Cub Glenn Beckert has passed away at 79, as announced by his former teammate and Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins.
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
— Fergie Jenkins (@fergieajenkins) April 12, 2020
Beckert made four straight Midsummer Classics from 1969-72, manning second base on some impressive Cubs teams.
Beckert was traded to the San Diego Padres in 1974, thus ending his career in unfamiliar colors, though he'll always be remembered for some of his heroics at Wrigley, despite often being forgotten amongst great Cubs infielders like Ron Santo and Ryne Sandberg.
The Chicago Cubs are saddened to learn of the death of former infielder Glenn Beckert.
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 12, 2020
Beckert was a gold glove winner and four-time All-Star in his nine seasons with the Cubs. pic.twitter.com/rh9JiEpQod
Beckert was often under-appreciated in his career with the Cubs, filling out the box score in ways that would generally go unnoticed. He was far from a power threat, as he finished his career with just 22 home runs. Beckert hit for average, with arguably his best season coming in 1971, when he finished 11th in MVP voting thanks to an impressive .342 batting average.
In his nine-year career in Chicago, Beckert started 1,206 games at second base. He could always be counted on, and represented a stable force in the field.
We wish his friends and family the best during this difficult time.