Chicago Cubs: How Anthony Rizzo Can Be MVP In 2017

Chicago Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo is one of the best players in baseball. Here is how he can follow teammate Kris Bryant’s path to winning baseball’s Most Valuable Player award in 2017.

No player on the Chicago Cubs team will tell you that individual awards take greater precedence over winning another World Series. Repeating as champs in 2017 is the team’s goal, after all. Still, wouldn’t it be nice to see Anthony Rizzo win a National League MVP Award, just like Kris Bryant did last season?

As a Cubs fan, how could it not be? Back-to-back Cubs players winning one of baseball’s most prestigious awards. Doesn’t get any better than that.

While there are plenty of factors that make or break a player’s chances at winning the MVP award, it’s safe to say that Rizzo already has a few things working in his favor this upcoming season.

For one, he plays for the best team in baseball. It’s a safe bet that the Cubs, given their talent, will likely repeat as NL Central champs.

If that’s the case, Rizzo’s chances at winning MVP only go up. What also helps Rizzo’s chances is his stellar defense at first base. Rizzo won the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2016. He was recognized as the best defensive first baseman in baseball.

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Let’s not forget that Rizzo also garners both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award, both received following the 2016 season. His reputation as being a standout on both offense and defense is undeniable.

Even with all of Rizzo’s past accomplishments, it’s a new year. Anything can happen in a long, grueling, 162-game season. Including prolonged hitting slumps or injuries, something Rizzo is quite aware of.

Many players, even the great ones, go through occasional hitting slumps from time to time. Rizzo, like many of his teammates, is one of those players. While he typically produces great statistics down the board by season’s end, one bad month of hitting can make all the difference in bringing home the MVP Award.

In 2016, Rizzo’s numbers were a .292 batting average, 32 homers, and 109 RBI’s. Those numbers were worthy of MVP consideration. The only problem was that Rizzo was competing against teammate Kris Bryant.

On paper, Bryant’s batting statistics were similar to Rizzo’s. His numbers, .292 BA, 39 HR, 102 RBI’s, show that. What ultimately gave Bryant the winning edge over Rizzo in most voters’ eyes were the seven more home runs hit.

With Bryant showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, Rizzo will need to find a new way to impress voters this upcoming season, if he wants a realistic shot at winning MVP.

Can Rizzo top Bryant in home runs hit this upcoming season? That seems unlikely, given that Rizzo’s home run ceiling has been stuck at 32 for a while now. He’s averaged nearly 32 homers over the past three seasons.

While Rizzo is just 27 years old, his game isn’t all about hitting home runs. He’d rather drive in runs by sacrificing power just to make contact.

Bryant, on the other hand, is just beginning his third full season in the majors. He’s a safe bet to keep improving his statistical numbers across the board, as he’s just beginning to enter his prime.

The only way Rizzo can overtake Bryant in the near future is through increasing his batting average. In six years as a pro, Rizzo never batted higher than .292. Unless he has a surprising power surge in the near future, Rizzo will need to hit over .300 to further stand out among voters this upcoming season.

How can Rizzo make sure that happens? By simply avoiding a prolonged slump in 2017.

Through April of last season, Rizzo hit just .218 in 77 at-bats. The month of May was barely any better for him, as he hit just .250 in 100 at-bats.

For two months, Rizzo struggled to find his hitting stride. From that point forward, he ended up posting a .377 batting average in 405 at-bats.

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If Rizzo can carry his hot bat over into 2017, he’ll have every opportunity to hit for a higher batting average, and, in turn, stand out more among voters choosing who their 2017 MVP Award winner is. That is unless Kris Bryant ups his game as well.

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