First, there was hype. Then, panic. Now, get set for more hype. Because after a brief injury scare, San Diego Padres phenom Anthony Rizzo is coming to the Show. Dan Hayes (via the North County Times):
San Diego Calling Up Top Prospect Anthony Rizzo
Rookie first baseman Anthony Rizzo will be in the Padres' starting lineup against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, a team source confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.
Rizzo flew to San Diego on Wednesday morning to have his left thumb examined by team doctors. The Arizona Daily Star reported that an MRI performed on Tuesday in Tucson showed no structural damage.
Rizzo’s numbers this season really have been phenomenal. After batting just .263/.334/.481 last season in the double-A Eastern League, this season Rizzo’s batted .365/.444/.715 in 52 triple-A games. With 63 RBI. Yeah.
This is sort of classic large-market/small-market story. Rizzo's a first baseman. Until last December, Rizzo was a Red Sox farmhand, and a fine (if not brilliant) prospect. But the Red Sox, because they're the Red Sox, just couldn't wait for Rizzo to develop. Not when they could have Adrian Gonzalez, who's already a brilliant player. So the Sox packaged Rizzo with three other players and traded them to the Padres for Gonzalez.
Granted, Adrian Gonzalez is better than Rizzo right now, and will probably be better than Rizzo over the next few seasons. But at some point in the next four or five or six years, Anthony Rizzo’s line on the performance graph might intersect with Gonzalez’s, with Rizzo’s going up and Gonzalez’s going down.
This isn't Jeff Bagwell-for-Larry Andersen all over again. But it's the kind of deal the Padres have to make. And Thursday we'll begin seeing if this one worked. Rizzo figures to take over at first base for the big club, with .185-hitting Jorge Cantu's playing time most endangered.
For more about Anthony Rizzo, please visit Fake Teams, Minor League Ball, and of course Gaslamp Ball.
See More:
