Theo Epstein brought Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs in the 2012 offseason via trade with the San Diego Padres for fellow super-prospect Andrew Cashner. Anthony Rizzo is expected to be a franchise cornerstone, to hold down first base at Wrigley Field for probably the next decade or so. This is best stated by the mega-contract signed in May. Rizzo and the Cubs reached a seven-year, $41 million deal in May.
I was on a conference call yesterday with FOX Sports on MLB leading on-air talent. I asked all about Anthony Rizzo and his All-Star chances.
I’ll admit I’m a bit biased in favor of Anthony Rizzo. Both he and I have been through the very same exact adversity. I won’t go into detail but it is actual, true adversity. Not the cliche garbage you hear in sports media known as “adversity.” Or the stupid platitudes of “adversity” from coaches and players. They use the term “adversity” as a euphemism for problems they often brought upon themselves. Anthony Rizzo and I certainly did not choose the life-altering hardships we’ve had to endure.
I know firsthand the hardships Rizzo has been though in life, so he certainly deserves anything and everything positive that comes his way. I’ll be rooting for Anthony Rizzo both on and off the field this summer.
I just voted to send Anthony Rizzo to the 2014 #ASG! Help him win the Final Vote! https://t.co/kdL8nMCHEz #VoteRizzo
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) July 9, 2014
But what about the big picture? When will we see the Cubs finally contend and compete again? When will the Cubs have multiple All-Stars in the game? Voted in; getting there on the strength of meritocracy. I posed this question to the Fox Sports lead announcing and analysis team yesterday.
In the call FOX Sports Play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, analysts Tom Verducci and Harold Reynolds analyze the Cubs rebuilding project and the potential of Anthony Rizzo. I asked about what the ceiling for Rizzo is and when the grand plan of Theo Epstein will start to take shape. Because basically the goalposts keep getting moved back; and then moved back again.
And basically the Cubs will start playing for the Wild Card and the NL Central again when they decide to start adding veteran pieces to complement the kids.
When they do more than just rely on the stellar blue chip prospects, and have proven commodites- things will turn around. Here’s more on the Cubs from Fox:
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! The Postgame. He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, the History Channel and more. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)