Unless you've been hiding under a rock the past few months, you should already know the Chicago Cubs are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time in quite a long while. At the heart of their resurgence is not their manager Joe Maddon, as popular opinion might have you believe. Instead, it is the play of first baseman Anthony Rizzo that has vaulted the Cubs into playoff contention and Rizzo into the likely MVP of the National League.
Rizzo has not only had a good season, batting .291 with 24 home runs and 73 RBIs, he has turned it on when it has counted the most. According to Baseball Reference's game logs, in the last 20 games as the Cubs have surged forward going 16-4, Rizzo has hit 8 home runs and drove in 22 RBIs. At only 26 years of age, he is the unquestioned leader of the Cubs. A dream come true for a great many young boys but by no means an easy job. A city and a fan following starved for a championship for its beloved baseball team. That dream job can very quickly become a nightmare but not for Anthony Rizzo.
For the Cub first baseman, winning is not optional, it's expected and he is prepared to put in the time to make sure that happens. From an April article in Rolling Stone, Rizzo had this to say, "I have no expectations for myself. I need to take care of myself and be ready every day. The thing I need to do is push guys to a level they've never been before and shoot for unrealistic goals."
Probably, the best indication of Rizzo's talents is that his team is believing, they are winning and Rizzo's name is still relatively unknown. If the Chicago Cubs do fulfill his prediction, Anthony Rizzo's name will emerge from the shadows of obscurity. One thing's for sure, Rizzo will be a strong candidate to bring the MVP award back to Chicago, the last being Sammy Sosa in 1998.
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