Fourteen year MLB veteran Anthony Rizzo has announced his retirement from professional baseball, and will retire as a Cub during an on field ceremony this Saturday.
Rizzo, who was a prominent member of Chicago’s roster between 2012-2021, will move into an ambassador role with the Cubs moving forward the club announced.
“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,” Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. “His play on the field spoke for itself and was recognized with multiple All-Star appearances, Gold Glove Awards, the Roberto Clemente Award and, ultimately, being a team leader on the 2016 World Series championship team.”
A 3x All-Star and 4x Gold Glove winner, Rizzo was a key contributor to the Cubs 2016 World Series win, ending a 108 year drought for the storied franchise. The 36 year old finished his career with 303 HRs, 922 runs scored, 965 RBIs, and a .261 batting average.
A former 6th round pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft, Rizzo spent time with the Padres, Cubs, and Yankees at the Major League level. The 6’3″ first baseman appeared in 92 games for New York last season hitting .228 with just 8 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Rizzo has dedicated countless hours to working with cancer patients off the field. Rizzo overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma himself back in 2008, and would go on to establish the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation which works with children battling cancer.
As a result of his off field work, Rizzo was awarded the 2017 Roberto Clemente award, and will now join other Cubs ambassadors working in the community. Chicago’s ambassador list includes Andrew Dawson, Ryan Dempster, Fergie Jenkins, Lee Smith, Billy Williams, Kerry Wood, and Ben Zobrist.
In Cubs franchise history, the Parkland, FL, native finished 6th overall in home runs (242), and first overall in hit by pitches (165).
Chicago originally received Rizzo in a 2012 trade that saw the team send Andrew Cashner to the Padres. Four years later, Rizzo and his teammates would etch their names into Chicago sports lore with a World Series title.
Photo: Ian D’Andrea. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.