Player Spotlight: Anthony Rizzo

The 2025 MLB season will come to a close at the end of this month. Fans have witnessed exciting and amazing moments. Teams are fighting for division titles and Wild Card berths. In this story, however, I want to show some appreciation to an outstanding player. Anthony Rizzo is one of my favorite players and still is to this day. Now, why am I featuring the first baseman? That is because after 14 wonderful seasons, he has announced that he's retiring from baseball. According to an article on Yahoo! Sports, the Chicago Cubs will honor him on Saturday prior to the team's matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. Speaking on Rizzo's career with the Cubs, Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement, "Anthony Rizzo was the face of one of the most successful eras in Chicago Cubs history and we are so excited he will be a part of our organization for many years to come." Rizzo spent nearly 10 years with the Cubs, where they won their first World Series title since 1908, ending a 108-year championship drought. To refresh everyone's memory, the Cubs were down three games to none to the then Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). However, they persevered and came back to win the 2016 World Series in seven games. The final play of Game 7 was one for the ages, when Rizzo caught Kris Bryant's throw to secure the final out. Rizzo's accolades include becoming a three-time All-Star, a Platinum Glove, four Gold Gloves, and the recipient of the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award. His warm personality on and off the field will be missed. He'll always be a Chicago Cub to me and because of his dedication to the team, Rizzo joins other Cubs ambassadors such as Ben Zobrist, who was named World Series MVP in 2016, Kerry Wood, and Ryan Dempster.

Who is Anthony Rizzo?

Anthony Vincent Rizzo was born on August 8, 1989, in Parkland, Florida. He's also part Italian. As of September 2025, he's 36 years old. Rizzo was drafted to the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and was later sent to the San Diego Padres, where he made his MLB debut in 2011. During that offseason, he landed with the Cubs where he won his first and only World Series title in 2016. The final team Anthony Rizzo played for was the New York Yankees and was dealt from the Cubs during the 2021 season. He would conclude his storybook career by winning the American League pennant and participating in his final World Series last season. Based on his overall stats, they may not be Hall of Fame worthy, but you'll never know. Anthony Rizzo's career can be defined by only one word: inspiring. What you may not know is that he's a cancer survivor. Despite his devastating diagnosis into adulthood, he was determined to follow his dream of playing in the big leagues. He and another World Series champion, Jon Lester, have been supportive of one another. Both of these men didn't let cancer define them and persevered by playing in Major League Baseball. Anthony Rizzo will continue to become a beacon of light and an inspiration to others for a long time. I do see him as a first base coach for the Cubs or some sort of coaching job for any MLB team in the future. Here's to you, Anthony! We, the baseball world, appreciate your contributions to the league and may your future be a prosperous and joyous one.

Happy retirement, Anthony! We appreciate you greatly and thank you for the memories. You made the baseball world proud.