Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo is enjoying a fantastic campaign

Chicago Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo is well on his way to adding another productive season to his resume

First baseman Anthony Rizzo is the longest tenured member of the Chicago Cubs currently on the roster. Rizzo, who has been with the North Siders since 2012, has earned three All-Star Game appearances, a Gold Glove award and a Silver Slugger. The 27-year-old clubhouse leader earned his three All-Star Game appearances in consecutive years, hitting 30 or more home runs in each of those seasons.

During that three-year stretch (2014-2016), Rizzo slashed .285/.386/.527 with 95 home runs and 288 RBI. Also during that same time frame, Rizzo averaged an OPS+ of 148 while totaling 109 doubles.

For Rizzo, the days of hitting .141 like he did with the Padres in 2011 are behind him. Now, Rizzo is one of the leaders both in the clubhouse and on the field. The old mantra says that leaders should lead by example; well Rizzo is doing just that.

Rizzo is having a great season at the plate

Rizzo entered the 2017 season after slashing .360/.484/.600 with three doubles, a home run and five RBI in the World Series. If not for the clutch hit of Ben Zobrist in Game 7, perhaps Rizzo would have won MVP honors. Nevertheless, it is apparent Rizzo has carried his postseason success into 2017.

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In 93 games, Rizzo is slashing .254/.378/.510 with 23 home runs and 60 RBI. That means the lefty is on pace to hit 40 home runs and drive in 105 runs. While 40 home runs would set a career high for Rizzo, the 105 RBI would fit nicely into the body of work the Silver Slugger has accomplished recently. Over the last three seasons, Rizzo is averaging 96 RBI per campaign, while topping out at 109 just last season.

What is most impressive about Rizzo this season is the fact his walk rate is the highest it has been since the 2011 season at 13.4%. At the same time, Rizzo’s strikeout percentage has fallen off the table this season. Currently, it sits at 11.2%, almost four percent lower than last season.

According to Fangraphs, Rizzo is hitting 1.3% more fly balls this season. Perhaps, that could account for the increased home runs. Looking deeper, one can see that Rizzo is centering the ball up more this season. Fangraphs shows us 33.3% of the balls hit by Rizzo go to center field. This is important because it means Rizzo is squaring more balls up.

One thing that could be of concern moving forward is the fact Rizzo’s soft contact percentage is up two percent compared to last season.

What started as an experiment, ended as a success

After Dexter Fowler departed in free agency prior to the 2017 season, the Cubs inserted Kyle Schwarber into the lead-off position. It did not take long to realize Schwarber was not the answer to the Cubs’ problem. In 146 at-bats, Schwarber slashed .185/.304/.356, prompting a demotion to Triple-A.

With Schwarber no longer an option, the Cubs were forced to get creative with who they picked to lead-off. One of those selections was Rizzo. In 49 at-bats atop the order, Rizzo slashed .306/.379/.694 with five home runs and 12 RBI. While the sample size was small, Rizzo posted some great numbers at the top of the lineup.

Now that the All-Star break has passed, Rizzo is hitting lower in the order, closer to his normal slot of third. In the three-hole, Rizzo has tallied 254 at-bats this season, with 14 home runs and a slash line of .252/.385/.472.