Ernie Banks Marquee Hall of Fame 1977

He came from the Kansas City Monarchs in 1953 as the first Black player the Cubs ever had, and he stayed for 2,528 games, all of them in Chicago. Banks hit 47 home runs in 1958 while playing all 154 games at shortstop. No shortstop had ever hit that many in a season, and only Alex Rodriguez has since.

The 1958 Cubs finished fifth at 72-82, and he was the National League's Most Valuable Player. The 1959 Cubs finished fifth at 74-80, and he won it again. He led the league in home runs in 1958 and 1960 and in runs batted in in 1958 and 1959, and took a Gold Glove at shortstop in 1960.

Bad legs moved him to first base in 1962, and he played more games there, 1,258, than the 1,125 he logged at shortstop. He stayed through 1971, including the 1969 team that led its division into September and lost it. Eleven All-Star teams, 512 home runs, no postseason game, and the line everyone still quotes: it's a beautiful day, let's play two.