BIOGRAPHY
Anthony Rizzo was born August 8, 1989, in Parkland, Florida. He is an infielder in the MLB.
Through his philanthropic ventures, he is a regular finalist for the Heart and Hustle award and is considered by many to be one of the most respected players in MLB.
Rizzo was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB draft and became a top minor league prospect in the Red Sox organization. He was traded to the San Diego Padres after the 2010 season along with three other prospects in exchange for All-Star first baseman Adrián González. He made his MLB debut in 2011 with San Diego. After being traded to the Cubs in 2012, he developed into an All-Star player, appearing in the All-Star Game three consecutive times, from 2014 through 2016, and winning the Silver Slugger Award, Gold Glove Award, Roberto Clemente Award, and won a World Series championship with the Cubs in 2016.
On July 29, 2021, Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees along with cash considerations for Alexander Vizcaíno and Kevin Alcántara.
His first game with the Yankees was on July 30 against the Miami Marlins. In only two games, Rizzo made an immediate impact by going 4 for 5 with 2 plus hits, 2 solo home runs (in each of his two games), 3 walks, and 5 runs overall, becoming the first player in the franchise history to achieve this feat. He also became the first Yankees player of all-time to get on base eight times (including a hit-by-pitch), the seventh Yankee to homer in his first two games.
On August 4, Rizzo hit a solo home run during a game against the Baltimore Orioles, making him the first player in team history to RBI in his first 6 games with the Yankees. He also became the fourth MLB player with RBIs in his first 6 games with a new team, joining Jim Spencer (1973), Jim Wynn (1974), and Bobby Murcer (1977).
On September 30, Rizzo hit his 250th home run during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a solo shot in the sixth inning off of starting pitcher Robbie Ray. He became the first Yankees player since Derek Jeter to reach this milestone while playing for the team.
On March 17, 2022, the Yankees signed Rizzo to a two-year $32 million contract. On April 26, Rizzo hit three home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. For the 2022 postseason, Rizzo finished with a .276 batting average with 8 hits, 2 home runs and 8 RBI's in 29 at bats. On November 7, 2022, he exercised an opt out clause in his contract and became a free agent.
Rizzo signed a two-year contract with an option for the 2025 season on November 15, 2022.