Anthony Vincent Rizzo, an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) is professionally known as Anthony Rizzo. His batting is left-handed and his throwing is right-handed. He made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres on 9th June 2011 whereas he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2012 and made his first All-Star team in 2014. In 2016, he helped lead the Cubs to the franchise’s first World Series title in over 100 years. Rizzo concluded his career at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a sixth-round draft pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2007. He also became the first Chicago Cubs player in the franchise’s history to accumulate three game-winning RBIs in his first five games as a Cub in 2012. Additionally, Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees on 29th July 2021 along with cash considerations for Alexander Vizcaino and Kevin Alcantara.
Famous For
- Being an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB).
- For previously playing for the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs.
Source: @wgntv
Where is Anthony Rizzo from?
Anthony Rizzo was born on 8th August 1989 with the real name of Anthony Vincent Rizzo in Parkland, Florida, the U.S. He holds American nationality and he belongs to mixed ethnicity as he is of Italian (Sicilian), English, Polish, and Irish descent. Similarly, his religion is Christian and his race is white. Rizzo has celebrated his 31st birthday as of 2020 and as per his birthdate, his star sign is Leo. He is the son of his father, John Rizzo, and his mother, Laurie Rizzo. He has an older brother named John Rizzo who is also a Former University-Level Football Player.
Source: @instagram.com/arizz_44
Talking about Rizzo’s education, he had completed his high school graduation, in 2007, from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in his hometown of Parkland.
What does Anthony Rizzo do for a living?
Boston Red Sox
- Anthony Rizzo kicks off his career being a sixth-round draft choice out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Red Sox after which he was headed for Florida Atlantic University before he was drafted and signed, with a $325,000 signing bonus.
- His minor league career started at the age of 17 in 2007 in the rookie class with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox where in only 21 at-bats, he hit .286/.375/.429 with 1 home run and 3 RBIs.
- He then played in class A with the Greenville Drive in the South Atlantic League at the age of 18 in 2008 and hit .373/.402/.446 with 0 home runs, and 11 RBIs in 83 at-bats.
- He also hit a combined .260 with an on-base percentage (OBP) of .334 and a slugging percentage (SLG) of .480 in 2010.
San Diego Padres
- Anthony was traded to the Padres for three-time All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez on 6th December 2010 where he was considered the third-best prospect and the best power-hitting prospect in the Red Sox organization.
- He began the 2011 season in Triple-A with the Tucson Padres whereas, in his first 15 games, Rizzo hit .452 with six home runs and 24 RBIs.
- He struck out in his first at-bat in his debut on 9th June 2011, against the Washington Nationals, but then proceeded to hit a triple and score a run, helping the Padres to a 7-3 victory. He hit his first home run on 11th June against John Lannan.
- He was demoted back to Triple-A, and Blanks was promoted on 21st July 2011 as well as he had struggled with only a .143 batting average and 1 home run, striking out 36 times in 98 at-bats.
- Rizzo finished his first season in San Diego hitting only .141 with 46 strikeouts in 128 at-bats.
Chicago Cubs
- The Padres traded Anthony and right-handed starting pitcher Zach Cates to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed starting pitcher Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na on 6th January 2012.
- He began the 2012 season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs and again excelled in the minor leagues, batting .342 average with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs before being recalled by the Cubs on 26th June.
- As well, he became the first player in Cubs history to have three game-winning RBIs in his first five games with the team. He also led National League (NL) rookies that month in homers, hits (32), RBIs (17), and total bases (55).
- Anthony ranked second among NL rookies in runs scored (14), and he was third with a .330 batting average, .375 on-base percentage, and .567 slugging percentage. He was named the league’s July Rookie of the Month.
- Later he agreed to a 7-year, $41 million deal on 12th May 2013 as the deal included two club options that could extend the contract to 9 years and $73 million.
- He was named as the Cubs finalist for the National Heart and Hustle Award, and he was also named the Cubs finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award. He also placed 2nd for the Gold Glove award for first basemen.
- On 30th May 2014, Rizzo had his fifth multi-homer game and his second career walk-off home run on 6th June of the following year. He was voted into the All-Star game via the final vote by fans along with White Sox pitcher Chris Sale.
- He won his first Player of the Week award in late July as well as he became the youngest player to receive the Branch Rickey Award as “a strong role model for young people” in mid-September.
- He finally finished the season with a combined on-base and slugging percentage of .913 (3rd in the NL), 32 home runs (2nd in the NL), and at-bats per HR percentage of 16.4 (2nd in the NL), led the majors in hit by pitch (15) and placed 10th in the National League MVP voting.
- Anthony was elected on the player’s ballot for the 2015 All-Star Team whereas he also competed in the 2015 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby for the first time in his career, but lost in the first round to Josh Donaldson.
- On 8th September 2015, he hit his 100th career home run and 300th RBI against Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha as well as he was hit by a pitch 30 times in 2015, leading the major leagues, and joined Don Baylor as the only other member of the 30HR/30HBP club.
- He finished the regular season with a .278 batting average, 31 home runs, 38 doubles, and 101 RBI in 701 plate appearances, and led the major leagues in hit by pitch, with 30.
- Also, he placed 4th in National League MVP voting and took home the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award which is awarded to a player that has a strong desire for the game.
- Anthony began as the first baseman at the 2016 All-Star game, receiving the most fan votes in the National League whereas he had become one of three players, and the first left-handed player, in Cubs history to hit over 40 doubles and 30 home runs at the end of the same year.
- He played in 155 games with 583 at-bats and scored 94 runs and he was hit by a pitch 16 times, had 170 hits with 43 doubles, 4 triples, 32 home runs, and 109 RBIs.
- Rizzo finished the year with a batting average of .292 and was fourth in the voting for National League Most Valuable Player.
- His fielding excellence was rewarded with a Gold Glove Award whereas he was also one of six finalists for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award and was the Cubs nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.
- He scored 7 runs and had 5 RBIs, and helped the Cubs win their first World Series title since 1908 in the 2016 World Series as well as he also won the Esurance MLB Award for “Best Social Media Personality” and for “Best Play: Defense”.
- His defense saved 11 runs for the Cubs which led all MLB first basemen and he was a recipient of his first Fielding Bible Award. He also won the fan vote for the Platinum Glove Award.
- Anthony had reached base in the first inning in his first seven games as a leadoff hitter and became the first player to reach safely to start the first inning in his first seven career leadoff appearances in over half a century of Major League baseball by 20th June 2017.
- He had 12 hits in 28 at-bats with 10 RBIs and hit .430 during the streak. Rizzo finished second behind the Nationals Ryan Zimmerman in a tight race for starting NL’s first baseman in the 2017 All-Star Game.
- He became the fourth Cubs player to hit at least 30 home runs, 30 doubles, and 100 RBIs in three or more seasons on 2nd September 2017.
- He batted .273/.392/.507 with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs for the season and he also led the majors in hit by pitch, with 24.
- Also, he was named as the 2017 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award for his charity work to find a cure for childhood cancer on 27th October.
- Rizzo was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his MLB career, due to a back issue on 10th April 2018 and he ranked fourth in Cubs franchise history with 17 home runs during interleague play.
- He finished his 2018 campaign batting .283 with 25 home runs and 101 RBIs in 153 games, and was 3rd in the major leagues in hit by pitch, with 20.
- Anthony hit .293/.405/.520 with 27 home runs and 94 RBIs in 2019 and led the major leagues in times hit by a pitch with 27. He also received his third career Gold Glove Award.
- He played in 58 games and finished with a .222/.342/.414 hit line, 11 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 3 stolen bases in the shortened 2020 season. He also received his fourth Gold Glove Award; his third in a row.
- After the season ended the Chicago Cubs picked up Anthony’s last year of his seven-year, $41 million contract which will pay Rizzo $16.5 million for the 2021 season.
- He was one of the first players that the Cubs traded for under Theo Epstein to help kick off the rebuild.
- Recently in 2021, he batted .248/.346/.446 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases in 92 games.
New York Yankees
- On 29th July 2021, Anthony was traded to the New York Yankees along with cash considerations for Alexander Vizcaino and Kevin Alcantara.
International career
- Anthony Rizzo chose to play for Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic before the MLB 2013 season as his family originated in the Sicilian town of Ciminna.
Charity works
- In 2012, the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation was founded which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, benefiting cancer research and families fighting the disease.
- The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation raised close to $500,000 to help families battling cancer during its 6th Annual Laugh-Off for Cancer on 16th January 2020.
- Rizzo donated $150,000 to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to help pay for the school’s lights for its baseball and softball fields in February 2020.
- The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation hosted its 9th Annual Walk-Off for Cancer on 15th November 2020 and raised more than $850,000.
Awards and Achievements
- 3× All-Star (2014-2016)
- World Series Champion (2016)
- 4× Gold Glove Award (2016, 2018-2020)
- Silver Slugger Award (2016)
- Roberto Clemente Award (2017)
- Fielding Bible Award (2016)
Who is Anthony Rizzo Wife?
Anthony Rizzo is a married guy. He tied a knot with his longtime girlfriend Emily Vakos on 29th December 2018, with teammate Kris Bryant serving as one of the groomsmen. He proposed to his girlfriend Emily on 1st June 2017. They met when the Cubs were in Arizona for spring training 2016. He and his wife adopted a dog in 2020, which they named Kevin. The couple currently resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Concerning Rizzo’s sexual orientation, he is straight.
Source: @instagram.com/arizz_44
How much is Anthony Rizzo Net Worth?
Anthony Rizzo has a net worth of $27 million as of 2021. He also earns a fine amount of salary which is around $11 million USD per year. He has not done any endorsement work yet. In addition, his major source of income is from his baseball career and he has gained a considerable amount of money from his profession.
What is the Height of Anthony Rizzo?
Anthony Rizzo is a handsome baseball player who has a tall height of 6 ft 3 in or 190.5 cm with a balanced bodyweight of 109 kg or 240.5 lbs. He has light brown hair and eyes color. His toned physique, towering frame, short-cropped hair, affable smile, and clean-shaven look have attracted a lot of people towards him. Rizzo has an athletic body build with 43-33-15 inches of body measurement.
Moreover, Rizzo was diagnosed with limited state classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma in April 2008. He went through chemotherapy for six months. On 2nd September 2008, his doctor told him he was in remission, though he still had six weeks left of treatment and some follow-up testing. On 18th November of the following year, Rizzo’s doctor told him he “could live a normal life.”
Leave a Reply