Chicago Cubs shouldn’t worry about Anthony Rizzo early in the season

Chicago Cubs: Takeaways from Rizzo’s 2019 performance so far

Before we even start to get into Anthony Rizzo’s numbers this season, let’s get one thing out of the way. We are talking about an 18-game sample size. In other words, that accounts for just 11 percent of a 162-game regular season.

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It’s fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But with the team looking to get more offense, there’s no harm in looking at where he’s found success – and where he hasn’t.

On the year, Rizzo carries an underwhelming .169/.341/.354 slash line. As we talked about earlier, the on-base percentage is fairly in line with what he’s done in his career early in the season. But his average and slugging percentage are downright abysmal.

Over the last week, in particular, things have gone from bad to worse for the slugger. He’s hitting just .077 in his last 13 at-bats (1-for-13 with four walks and two strikeouts).

But, believe it or not, there are things to be encouraged about. He’s struck out 15 times on the year but has drawn almost as many walks (14).

If we’re still talking about Anthony Rizzo struggling to crack the Mendoza Line in mid-May, then I’ll start to be worried. But this guy has proven time and time again to be the epitome of consistency – a true anchor in Joe Maddon‘s lineup. He’ll get it figured out – and, until he does, he’ll continue to see pitches, work counts and do the little things that help his teammates succeed.