Drafted in the 20th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978, Ryne Sandberg became one of the most regrettable trade chips in team history. As a youngster, Sandberg played shortstop, second base, third base and center field, but was blocked at each of those positions by a quartet of early 1980's stars by the names of Larry Bowa, Manny Trillo, Mike Schmidt and Garry Maddox.
Eventually, Sandberg, a Washington state native, was included as a throw-in, in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. As a second baseman for the Cubs, Sandberg excelled, becoming a 10-time National League All-star, a 9-time Gold Glove Award winner, 1984 NL Most Valuable Player and a Hall of Famer.
After decades away from the organization that drafted him, the 51-year-old Sandberg returned this year to manage the Phillies' Triple A level club, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Through the weekend, the IronPigs sported the best record in the International League with a 44-32 mark.
Recently, I spoke with Ryne about the team's success despite the constant rotation of player up and down from the big league level, a few new additions to the Lehigh Valley roster, his return to the Phillies developmental system and plenty more. Check out the media player below to listen to the full interview.
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