On Wednesday, first baseman Anthony Rizzo announced his retirement from Major League Baseball, tying a bow on a 14-year career that included winning a World Series title with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
The Cubs announced that the organization will honor Rizzo before this Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field. Moving forward, the 36-year-old will serve as an ambassador for the National League Central club.
In 2012, Rizzo became an instant fan favorite in Chicago after a trade from the San Diego Padres. His career also included a four-year stint with the New York Yankees from 2021 to 2024.
Anthony Rizzo’s Path to the Cubs
The Boston Red Sox drafted Rizzo out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2007, selecting him in the sixth round.
In 2008, he underwent chemotherapy and overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He created the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation in 2012 to help cancer patients and their families.
After a few seasons in Boston’s minor league system, they dealt him to the Padres, the team he made his MLB debut with in 2011. Rizzo’s time in San Diego was brief, as he played just 49 games with the Padres before being traded to the Cubs in the offseason of 2012.
The left-handed hitter became an integral part of a Cubs organization that included All-Stars on both sides of the field, including shortstop Javier Baez, third baseman Kris Bryant, and starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta.
Rizzo earned three consecutive All-Star selections from 2014-16, and the 32 home runs he hit in 2017 extended his streak of four straight seasons with 31 or more homers. The highlight of his career came in 2016 when the Cubs defeated the then-Cleveland Indians four games to three in the 2016 World Series. Playing first base, Rizzo received a throw from Bryant at third base after a ground ball to secure the final out and break the Cubs’ 108-year championship drought.
After 2016, he played four-and-a-half more seasons with the Cubs, but after a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 NLCS, the club never went further than the Wild Card round.
Anthony Rizzo’s Tenure With the Yankees
The Cubs underwent a fire sale at the trade deadline in 2021, sending Baez to the New York Mets, Bryant to the San Francisco Giants, and Rizzo to the Yankees.
Similar to Chicago, New York’s fans gravitated to Rizzo’s infectious personality as the veteran played his final three and a half seasons alongside Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
His best offensive year with the Yankees was in 2022, when he hit .224/.338/.480 with 32 homers and an OPS+ of 130. The Yankees reached the ALCS for the first time since 2019, but suffered a sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros.
Injuries limited Rizzo to 99 games in 2023 and 92 games in 2024, but he was healthy for the Yankees’ loss in last year’s World Series. In May 2023, Rizzo, playing first, collided with Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres on a pickoff attempt. The play resulted in Rizzo suffering concussion symptoms, and his performance throughout the rest of the year declined.
Before the 2025 season, the Yankees declined Rizzo’s $17 million club option, making him a free agent. He played his last MLB game in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
The First Baseman’s Career in a Nutshell
Rizzo made approximately $127 million during his 14-year MLB career. He finished in the top 10 of NL MVP voting three times, including two top-four finishes in 2015 and 2016.
His career ends with a batting line of .261/.361/.467, 303 home runs, 965 RBIs, and a bWAR of 40.4.
Rizzo won four Gold Glove Awards and one Platinum Glove Award, and added a Roberto Clemente Award in 2017 for his community efforts, particularly for the work and support of cancer patients.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Former Chicago Cubs Star Announces Retirement appeared first on Heavy Sports.