Ernie Banks, "Mr. Cub," is probably the most popular player in the history of the Chicago Cubs franchise. Banks 
was the best power-hitting shortstop in baseball in the 1950s and early 1960s. His enthusiasm for the game of baseball was legendary. Baseball fans will always remember him as the ballplayer who said, "What a great day for baseball. Let's play two!" Banks started his career in the Negro Leagues with the famous Kansas City Monarchs in 1950, and came to the Cubs in 1953. Banks played 19 seasons in the Major Leagues, all with the Cubs, and belted 512 home runs, five times hitting over 40 in a single season. Banks smashed a record five grand slams in 1955 and his 47 round-trippers in 1958 are the most ever hit by a shortstop. Ernie Banks has career totals of 512 home runs, good for 12th on the all-time list, with 1636 RBI, 1305 runs scored, 2583 hits with a .274 lifetime average. Banks hit 40 or more home runs five times in his career, winning two MVP awards in the process. His first MVP came in 1958, as he hit .313, with league-leading totals of 47 homers and 129 RBI. He won the award again in 1959, leading the league in RBI again, as well as fielding percentage. Banks was named to 11 All-Star teams in his career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977. His uniform No. 14 was the first retired by the Cubs organization and currently flies on game days from the left field foul pole.
was the best power-hitting shortstop in baseball in the 1950s and early 1960s. His enthusiasm for the game of baseball was legendary. Baseball fans will always remember him as the ballplayer who said, "What a great day for baseball. Let's play two!" Banks started his career in the Negro Leagues with the famous Kansas City Monarchs in 1950, and came to the Cubs in 1953. Banks played 19 seasons in the Major Leagues, all with the Cubs, and belted 512 home runs, five times hitting over 40 in a single season. Banks smashed a record five grand slams in 1955 and his 47 round-trippers in 1958 are the most ever hit by a shortstop. Ernie Banks has career totals of 512 home runs, good for 12th on the all-time list, with 1636 RBI, 1305 runs scored, 2583 hits with a .274 lifetime average. Banks hit 40 or more home runs five times in his career, winning two MVP awards in the process. His first MVP came in 1958, as he hit .313, with league-leading totals of 47 homers and 129 RBI. He won the award again in 1959, leading the league in RBI again, as well as fielding percentage. Banks was named to 11 All-Star teams in his career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977. His uniform No. 14 was the first retired by the Cubs organization and currently flies on game days from the left field foul pole.
Now, on to the cards! We have three honorable mentions that wore number 14 - Jim Rice, Kent Hrbek, and Lou Piniella. Rice played 16 season in the majors, all with the Boston Red Sox, from 1974 to 1989. He had a great balance of hitting for average and power, with a career average of .298 and retired with a total of 382 round trippers, good for third on the all time Red Sox HR list behind Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski (although his 315 times grounding into double plays ranks him third all time behind Hank Aaron and Yastrzemski). Rice was an 8 time All Star, was the AL MVP in 1978, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009 on his 15th and final ballot. His number 14 has been retired by the Red Sox. This is a scan of his 1978 card from my personal collection.
"Sweet Lou" Piniella played with four different ballclubs, from 1964-1984, and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs. The Tampa, FL native was the AL Rookie of the year in 1969 (not a typo, he didn't appear in enough games the previous seasons to qualify). He retired with just over 100 homeruns and 1705 hits, with a .291 averge. He has had a successful managerial career, having won 1,784 games (through 2009) with a .521 winning percentage. Piniella has been named Manager of the Year twice in the AL and once in the NL. Sweet Lou, pictured here in 1976, is also third on the active managers list for being thrown out of a game as a manager. According to a personal friend whose family has known Piniella since his little league days in Tampa, his firery attitude was developing even as a child!
Hrbek played 14 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, and is pictured here on his 1992 card. He was named to the 1982 All Star team, and played for two World Series championship teams with the Twins (1987, 1991). Hrbek also won the 1991 Lou Gehrig award. Hrbek's number 14 has been retired by the Minnesota Twins.
:-)
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