First baseman Anthony Rizzo announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday. He played 14 years in the majors, including one with the San Diego Padres.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft, Rizzo was traded to San Diego in 2010 as a piece in the Adrian Gonzalez trade.
Rizzo was ranked as the 75th best prospect in baseball before his debut season in 2011. He made appearances in 49 games for the Friars that season. He struggled to adjust in the major leagues, recording a slashline of .141/.281/.242 with an OPS of just .523.
On January 6, 2012, Rizzo was included in another trade, this time to the Chicago Cubs. In return, the Padres acquired outfielder Kyung-Min Na and right-handed pitcher Andrew Cashner. Cashner was a solid arm for San Diego, making 97 starts across 5 seasons and posting an ERA of 3.67.
It was in Chicago that the first baseman found his footing in the MLB. During his time in Chicago, he was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove-winner, and a Silver Slugger winner.
Most importantly, he became a key part of the Cubs’ World Series-winning 2016 season after a 108-year championship drought. Rizzo being at the heart of that 2016 Cubs team cemented his place in franchise history.
While Rizzo’s stint in San Diego was short-lived and didn’t foreshadow anything special, his “Hall of Very Good” career kicked off with the Padres, cementing his spot as one of the franchise's players that got away.
His retirement ceremony will be held at Wrigley Field this Saturday.