Category Archives: Anthony Rizzo

2018 MLB Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs couldn’t repeat as World Series champions last year, but they still had a very good year. They ran into a better Dodgers team in the NLCS and were eliminated in five games.

This Cubs didn’t stand pat this offseason. They made some moves and cut some of the fat by deciding to not re-sign a few starters and let a few bullpen arms walk. They spent wisely by signing starter Yu Darvish to a pretty team-friendly contract. The Cubs did spend $126 million, but many thought Darvish could command a contract near $200 million at the start of the offseason.

Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are perennial MVP candidates for the Cubs. Kyle Schwarber could be a guy on their level, but he has a rough year at the plate. He focused on his fitness this offseason and dropped weight. Will his power still be there?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 First Baseman

Our fantasy baseball rankings continue with the best first baseman.

The first base position is really, really deep. There’s all kind of power at the position. There is somewhat of a cliff after you get past the first five or six guys, but you will still be able to get your 1B/3B or backup 1B late in the draft.

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – Goldschmidt has been a first-round pick for awhile now. He isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He’s in the lineup every game, hits for power, is a near-automatic .295 hitter and even steals double-digit bases. He’s about as good as it gets for a corner infielder.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs finally did it. They curse was officially broken. If something bad happens during the season, we can no longer blame some supernatural force.

This season will be a weird one. As a Cubs fan, I usually come into the season with a little optimism, but mostly waiting for the impending doom and gloom to arrive. Even if the team gets off to a slow start in April, these guys basically have a lifetime pass, right?

Jason Heyward played with a broken swing for the entire season. He spent the offseason rebuilding it from scratch. How long will the Cubs stick with him if he struggles again?

I usually mess with all the MLB team preview photos in MS Paint as a joke, but this photo of David Ross getting carried off is just too damn perfect.

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

First off, let me tell you that I’m a huge Chicago Cubs fan. There arecertain things Cubs fans aren’t comfortable doing, one of them is boasting how this is finally the year they will win the World Series. We know better than that and are often more critical about the team. We don’t like to get our hopes up since they have always been shattered in laughable fashion.

The Cubs made some huge moves this offseason. The newly-signed veterans will allow some of their younger players to platoon.

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are nearing the end of a long-term rebuilding plan. It feels like Theo Epstein has been working on this plan for a decade. Many of Chicago’s young, homegrown players will be called up by the end of the year.

The Cubs made a big splash this offseason by signing Jon Lester to a long-term deal and by hiring Joe Maddon after he opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay. He turned around that franchise and is one of the smartest managers in the game.

Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler have Cubs fans drooling. The trio make up the corps of young talent Chicago has been developing in the minors.

Can Chicago be a real contender this season or is it a year too early?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 First Baseman

First base is EXTREMELY deep this season. It’s a loaded position with a lot of power and many of the rankings are based on personal preferences. Players with upside usually take precedent over consistent players with little to no upside.

Can you handle a first baseman with power, but a sub-.225 batting average? Do you want to go safe with a player like Adrian Gonzalez or Freddie Freeman?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers – Most have Miggy as a top-five fantasy first baseman, but I think they are selling the former MVP short. He dealt with injuries for most of last year and he still knocked 25 homers and hit .313. I believe he’ll have another season of at least 35 homers and .310+. I just couldn’t pick another first baseman if Miggy is still on the board.

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2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 40 First Baseman

Putting together fantasy baseball first baseman rankings is always difficult. It’s a loaded position with a lot of power and many of the rankings are based on personal preferences.

Can you handle a first baseman with power, but a sub-.225 batting average? Do you want to go safe with a player like Joey Votto or Freddie Freeman?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – If Chris Davis didn’t have such an amazing year, Goldschmidt would have been the run away #1 overall first baseman this season. The addition of Mark Trumbo helps protect him better in the lineup. I expect another 35/120/.300 season from Goldschmidt.

2. Chris Davis – Baltimore Orioles – We all knew Davis had power, but he surprised everyone with his output in 2013. At one point in the season, he looked like he could surpass the Roger Maris home run record (I have a hard time acknowledging those who broke his home run record). Davis may see a slight decline since pitchers will do their best to avoid pitching to him.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are in the middle of a long-term rebuilding plan. They are building the team through the draft and their farm system is now one of the best in baseball. Many of those prospects are still a year away, so many Cubs fans are already looking ahead to the 2015 season.

Expect the Cubs roster to looks drastically different by the end of the season. Jeff Samardzija may even be traded before the season begins.

New manager Rick Renteria takes over a team of mostly cheap role players keeping seats warm until Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Kris Bryant are ready to appear in the Majors.

Can Starlin Castro regain his All-Star form? Will Anthony Rizzo make a leap forward and become a better all-around hitter?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2013 World Baseball Classic: Notable Players

The World Baseball Classic has been lost in the shuffle with the beginning of Spring Training, but it kicks off this weekend on March 2nd.

It’s an event that’s supposed to showcase the world’s best…but at the same time, aggravate the pants off every Major League team’s front office. They must hate seeing their pitchers waste their arms in an International tournament.

Asian countries have had the most success in this format, but the Latin American countries always bring the most individual talent. The rosters have been finalized and we list the notable players who will play in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Continue reading →

2013 MLB Team Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are in the middle of rebuilding their team the right way, through the draft. They are avoiding the offseason barrage of high-priced free agents, which was their vice during the final years of the Chicago Tribune ownership. The new owners, the Ricketts family lured Theo Epstein away from the Boston Red Sox before last season and ended the season with 101 losses in 2012.

Cubs fans aren’t expecting a World Series championship in 2013, but they want to see improvement. A few young prospects are expected to be called up at some point and those are the players the fans will have an interest in.

Should fans expect an All-Star season from Anthony Rizzo?

Will Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano be traded at some point this season?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs. Continue reading →

Will Anthony Rizzo Save the Chicago Cubs?

The Chicago Cubs currently have the worst record in all of baseball (24-48) and are trying to build for the future. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein has stated that nearly every player is on the trading block. Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Bryan LaHair, and Alfonso Soriano are all expected to be traded by the end of July. The one ray of hope occurred over the weekend, the Cubs called up their #1 prospect Anthony Rizzo.

The Cubs received Rizzo when they traded Andrew Cashner to the San Diego Padres this off-season. Epstein drafted Rizzo when he was the Boston Red Sox GM and wanted him on the Cubs.

Will Rizzo make his Chicago debut tonight against Johan Santana and the New York Mets or will they hold off his debut until they face Dillon Gee or Jonathon Niese later in the series?

Rizzo has all the tools to be a dominant hitter in the Majors. He has crushed the ball in the minors with Triple-A slash line of .337/.406/.673. In 69 games this season with Iowa (PCL) he has 23 homers, 62 RBI, and a .345 batting average.

To put his numbers into prospective and be realistic, Bryan LaHair’s 2011 Triple-A numbers were 38 homers, 109 RBI, with a .331 average through 129 games. LaHair has done well this year, but could end up being a 4-A player at the end of the day.

Rizzo had more than a cup of coffee with the Padres last season. He had a slash line of .141/.281/.242 with one homer in 128 at-bats. You could factor in that PETCO Park, San Diego’s home park, wasn’t suited for Rizzo’s skill-set, but he didn’t play every game at home.

Chicago could have started out the season with Rizzo as their starting first baseman, but they were smart by having him get his confidence back. He has a hot bat and Chicago could use it at the moment.

I doubt Rizzo will start in tonight’s game against Santana, but he could be used to pinch-hit later in the game. The smart money is that he will start on Tuesday and Wednesday. Chicago has been using LaHair in the outfield lately and should be in the lineup when a right-hander is on the mound.

I warn Cubs fans to lower expectations at the beginning. We don’t want another Felix Pie, Jerome Walton, Dwight Smith…(I could go on and on, but I don’t want to cry this morning). He will be batting near the middle of the order with Soriano and Geovany Soto sandwiching him. He will be protected to start out (well, as much as you can in an anemic batting order.

Rizzo will not save the season, but if he can show that he can hit MLB pitching and give the fans something to build on, he will do very well at the Friendly Confines.

…let the “Grease” nicknames begin. I’ll start, how about Anthony “Greased Lightning” Rizzo?

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

The Cubs to Trade Starlin Castro, Others?

The Chicago Cubs are 18-32 and have already had a double-digit losing streak this season. They knew going into this season that big changes could be made to their team.

Bob Nightengale of the USA Today reported that every player on the Cubs current roster, except Jeff Samardzija, is available for trade.

The biggest surprise in Nightengale’s story is that 22-year old All-Star, Starlin Castro, is among the Cubs players that the organization would consider trading. He is among the team leaders in nearly every offensive category.

Is publicly announcing that the entire roster is available for trade a smart move? What is the Cubs asking price for Castro?

Theo Epstein signed on as the President of Baseball Operations for the Cubs and hired Jed Hoyer as the General Manager. Epstein came from the Boston Red Sox and Hoyer was previously the San Diego Padres GM. To make a long story short, they didn’t draft or sign any of these players, so they are not married to them.

“We’re starting to get some early calls now,” Epstein told Nightengale. “There might be fewer sellers than usual and a lot more buyers. This has the chance to help us. We need core players.”

The Cubs will move Starlin Castro for ‘two impact prospects’ and Bryan LaHair, Matt Garza, and Ryan Dempster are the others that will be highly sought after. Alfonso Soriano was also mentioned, which isn’t a new development, the Cubs has been trying to trade him for three seasons. They would eat most of his contract just to make space in the outfield ($18 million per season through 2014). Soriano is on a hot streak since reducing his bat weight by over an ounce. It could be the perfect time to talk a team into taking him off their hands

Let’s go back to Epstein’s remark that the Cubs “need core players.” Castro has proven that he can produce at the major-league level (over 200 hits in 2011). He has struggled defensively this year and analysts are questioning if he would be more suitable at a third-base. Unless the Cubs think that minor-league shortstop Junior Lake is a better long-term answer at the position, I would rather have Castro than two wild-cards at this point.

If the Cubs make a few moves and clear spots on the 25-man roster, they will bring up some talented minor leaguers. First Baseman Anthony Rizzo is tearing up Triple-A and will be the first player they call up. If Rizzo is their #1 prospect, outfielder Brett Jackson is #1a. Jackson has been touted as the center fielder of the future. RHP Trey McNutt and 3B Josh Vitters could also be considered for a call-up.

Epstein can’t trade the entire roster. They are an 18-32 team, he couldn’t even give away most of them. Publicly announcing that the team is up for trade could lead to disgruntled players and low morale. He could have had personal discussions with other teams’ front office staff. He did it as a message for fans that he will not stand pat and will do everything he can to improve the Cubs. I can understand that, but it just seems pretty early to be making bold statements.

I’m a Cubs fan and I have been very patient with the organization. I am ready for a change, but I hope they don’t trade young established talent for even younger unknown commodities. You can make a bad situation even worse if those prospects don’t pan out and the player you traded away is voted into the All-Star game every year.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.