Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo and his consistency is key moving forward

Chicago Cubs: Looking at the big picture

In total, Rizzo slashed .329/.420/.550 in the second half of the season. He hit 13 home runs and drove in 36 runs in that span while posting strikeout and walk rates of 11 percent respectively. The Cubs needed every bit of his contributions in all facets of the game near season’s end.

While the Cubs were unable to win the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals made a second-half surge, winning 22 games in August and making the division race interesting all the way until the end of the season with Milwaukee trending closely all season.

If the Cubs don’t have his contributions, at the end of the day, they’re probably not playing in the NL Wild Card game and might have finished behind both St. Louis and Milwaukee in the standings.

Rizzo hit a game-tying solo shot against Milwaukee in the Game 163 that decided the division. He also started the eighth-inning rally in the NL Wild Card game against Colorado that led to the Cubs tying the game. But, like most of the second half, the Cubs could not score runs when they needed to and it’s why their season ended in disappointment.