Anthony Rizzo keeps getting better!

SilenceS

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So, with so many new shiny toys on the Cubs. We tend to forget about the old guard. Its funny because Rizzo is 26, but he is very much the alpha male and a vet on this team. Deshaies talked about this article from fangraphs and I forgot to look at it until now. Rizzo has more walks than K's now which is unreal. We keep saying Rizzo is on the cusp of super stardom and maybe we should pay more attention. He is the leading vote getter in the All Star game and is just getting better with the bat. Here is the article. By the end, he could be considered a top 5 hitter in the league.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/anthony-rizzo-keeps-getting-better/
 

beckdawg

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So, with so many new shiny toys on the Cubs. We tend to forget about the old guard. Its funny because Rizzo is 26, but he is very much the alpha male and a vet on this team. Deshaies talked about this article from fangraphs and I forgot to look at it until now. Rizzo has more walks than K's now which is unreal. We keep saying Rizzo is on the cusp of super stardom and maybe we should pay more attention. He is the leading vote getter in the All Star game and is just getting better with the bat. Here is the article. By the end, he could be considered a top 5 hitter in the league.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/anthony-rizzo-keeps-getting-better/

Yeah I mentioned this in the IST that I felt he was quietly a superstar. Maybe it's just his personality or something but you can legitimately put him in that discussion with Harper right now as best NL hitter. No disrespect to Cashner but the Padres got fleeced in that trade badly.
 

SilenceS

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Yeah I mentioned this in the IST that I felt he was quietly a superstar. Maybe it's just his personality or something but you can legitimately put him in that discussion with Harper right now as best NL hitter. No disrespect to Cashner but the Padres got fleeced in that trade badly.

Yea, it was a toss up at the time. Rizzo had some big flaws and couldnt hit a hard fastball. He had a strikeout problem and wasnt really suited for Padres park. Cashner was flashing that TOR potential and he bested Rizzo in the beginning, but he fell apart and Rizzo kept getting better
 

cubsmann

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Yeah I mentioned this in the IST that I felt he was quietly a superstar. Maybe it's just his personality or something but you can legitimately put him in that discussion with Harper right now as best NL hitter. No disrespect to Cashner but the Padres got fleeced in that trade badly.

They did and the trade for Rizzo as well as the ones for Addison Russell and Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop are other examples of the Cubs literally picking the pockets of other teams. Obviously they have superior scouting which is another reason why they're the best team in baseball.

Rizzo is most definitely a great player. The guy could be the MVP this year. I think he and Bryant have to be seriously considered based on the year both are having.
 

brett05

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I'm not sure why you all think Rizzo is just now getting to that upper echelon level. He was there last year. Didn't he finish like 5th in the MVP voting?

I have Rizzo right now #2 behind Goldy. And that gap is closing more as well.
 

TC in Mississippi

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I'm not sure why you all think Rizzo is just now getting to that upper echelon level. He was there last year. Didn't he finish like 5th in the MVP voting?

I have Rizzo right now #2 behind Goldy. And that gap is closing more as well.

I love Rizzo but if you're talking MVP I wouldn't ignore Kris Bryant. Rizzo has a higher OPS but Bryant is tied for the NL lead in HR with Aranado, tied with Rizzo in RBI and first in WAR.
 

brett05

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I love Rizzo but if you're talking MVP I wouldn't ignore Kris Bryant. Rizzo has a higher OPS but Bryant is tied for the NL lead in HR with Aranado, tied with Rizzo in RBI and first in WAR.

MVP that I was speaking of was 2015. This year so far I can't vote for Bryant to this point. Almost 1/3 of his offense is against the Reds. But there is still a second half to go. I love both of them, but Rizzo is clearly the guy on the Cubs IMO.
 

beckdawg

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I'm not sure why you all think Rizzo is just now getting to that upper echelon level. He was there last year. Didn't he finish like 5th in the MVP voting?

I have Rizzo right now #2 behind Goldy. And that gap is closing more as well.

I was all for him last year but the thing is he's even better this year. Last year he hit .278/.387/.512 with an ISO of .234 and a bb/k rate of 11.1%/15.0%. Those are great numbers no doubt but look at them thus far this year. .284/.407/.576 .292 and 14.0%/13.7%. He's hitting for a better average, walking more, hitting for more power and striking out less. About the only way he's "worse" this year is last year he stole more bases. If he gets the 700 PAs he had last year he's on pace for 40 HRs and around 126 RBIs. Last year he was really good. This year his approach Bryce Harper/Mike Trout territory with his bat(not as good in the field as he's a 1B/CF though). Now don't get wrong here, I said approaching. He still doesn't hit for a high enough average in my eyes to be entirely comparable with them but Harper was .330/.460/.649 last year and Trout was .299/.402/.590 so he's not that far off obviously more so with Harper given he hit .330.
 

SilenceS

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When Bryant can consistently hit that low ball. He is going to be something. I almost want him to stand a little further away from the plate, but I wouldnt mess with it. His extension and leverage is amazing. Like I said, he is 6'5 and you cant teach that.
 

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