Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is one of the best hitters in baseball, but you wouldn't know it by all the attention the rest of his teammates get.
The Cubs find their first superstar in Anthony Rizzo
Their bevy of young hitters get all the buzz, but the Cubs already have a star in Anthony Rizzo, and he’s only getting better.
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Through 37 games this year, Rizzo is hitting .344/.470/.603 with a team-leading eight home runs. This early-season success comes off the back of an All-Star campaign in 2014, when Rizzo batted .286/.386/.527 with 32 long balls in one of the least-heralded 30-homer seasons in recent memory.
Youngsters Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and even Javier Baez might get more press, but Rizzo is the prime reason for the Cubs' return to prominence in 2015. And at the age of 25, he's not exactly a grizzled veteran entering the downswing of his career. Rizzo's strong start has served to underscore his place among MLB's best hitters, and the notion that he is only improving at the plate.
Rizzo has long been overlooked, even back to his days in the minors when he was dealt to San Diego in the high-profile trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. After tearing up Triple-A in 2011, Rizzo earned a 49-game cup of coffee with the San Diego Padres but struggled, leading to yet another trade that landed him in Chicago.
But new Cubs GM Theo Epstein knew exactly what he was getting in Rizzo, and barring a down 2013 campaign, the lefty slugger has been a fixture in the middle of the club’s lineup ever since. Indeed, Epstein had enough faith in Rizzo to ink him to a seven-year, $41 million contract back in 2013 that now looks like a bargain.
The Cubs will pay Rizzo just $5 million this season, and in return, they'll receive elite production. Rizzo entered Tuesday with a 187 wRC+, the third-best mark in the National League behind Bryce Harper and Gonzalez, the player he was once traded for. Dating back to the start of 2014, he has the ninth-most home runs in all of baseball with 40.
Meanwhile, Rizzo continues to cut down on his strikeouts and has added further patience at the plate. So far in 2015, he’s walked 22 times and struck out on just 17 occasions, an example of improved discipline but also the caution opposing hurlers use while pitching to Rizzo.
Considering all the hullabaloo surrounding Bryant this season, one could be forgiven for overlooking how great Rizzo has been. With a farm system that continues to churn out high-end talent and Jon Lester back to his dominant ways, the Cubs have laid a strong foundation for future success.
Just remember that Rizzo is the biggest reason why the future looks so bright at Wrigley.
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