Chicago Cubs: How much in-prime Anthony Rizzo remains?

Hard to believe the Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo is already 30 years old, one could wonder how much of his prime years does he have left in the majors.

The 2020 baseball season was supposed to be the ninth year for Anthony Rizzo as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Since coming over from the San Diego Padres in January 2012, the lefty slugger has become one of the most consistent players in baseball and the face of the Cubs franchise. So much is uncertain about the 2020 season, so we yet to know if Rizzo will embark on year nine soon or in 2021.

Rizzo turned 30 years old last year and came off another grade A season hitting .293/.405/.520 with 27 homers, 141 wRC+, and .924 OPS in 146 games. Not to mention another Gold Glove award. Counting 2020, he has two more years of control on his deal and is a no-brainer candidate for a contract extension. Let’s get one thing straight; he should 100% get some sort of extension.

While it sounds premature to ask how many years of in-prime Rizzo are left in the tank, the question does arise. Being 30 is not exactly old, but it is a point where people tend to start to wonder just how long a player has left to play his top-game. For some, 30 is right in the center of prime years, while for others, it marks the later half of them. How does it look for Rizzo?

Chicago Cubs: Factors on Rizzo’s future

Little has alarmed Cubs fans to indicate Rizzo is slowing down in terms of production. Both his average and on-base last year were career-highs. One could point at the slight drop in home run production, but it was not an overall drastic. Rizzo is a guy who will not sell out and sacrifice all-or-nothing home run swings for choking up and protecting the plate in certain counts.

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Legitimate concerns regarding Rizzo’s future mainly lie within his recent health issues. He has yet to miss something drastic like 80+ games, but we have seen him experience back issues the past few seasons.

So far, they have been a small nagging, but a tall guy with a bad back will naturally see it become more of a nuisance as time goes on. The ankle injury he suffered last year was concerning for the time, but less now since it was a sprain and a one-time incident.

Going back to his actual age, it is worth noting he will turn 31 this coming August. Again this is not old, but he is well past being a young player. This is like the “middle age” for baseball players. For guys like Rizzo, who are better than many but not quite an all-time high level, it is typically the part of their careers where they’ve established who they are and can still play at their ceiling but not exceed it.