Chicago Cubs: Creating the perfect lineup of the 2000s
First Base: Anthony Rizzo
Career Numbers with Chicago Cubs: 1,158 games, .277/.376/.496, 217 home runs, 720 RBI, 134 wRC+, 29.7 fWAR
How could we leave the captain off of this list? The Chicago Cubs acquired Anthony Rizzo in a trade with the San Diego Padres in the 2012 offseason. Trading for Rizzo was one of the first moves made by Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs’ new front office and he ended up being the stable force on the team throughout the rebuild. Then, as the Cubs came out on the other side, Rizzo was the guy to lead the team to a championship.
He is a tremendous overall player who has obvious offensive and defensive value. Rizzo is not only one of the Cubs’ best players, but he is also one of the primary leaders of the team in recent years. When it’s all said and done, Rizzo’s No. 44 will likely be retired by the Cubs and he could have a statue outside of Wrigley Field. There are other talented options at first base, but Rizzo is the obvious choice here.
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Honorable Mention: Derrek Lee
While he did not play on many winning teams, Derrek Lee was an absolute force in the middle of the lineup when he was with the Cubs. Through his six and a half seasons in Chicago, Lee hit an impressive .298/.378/.524 and always played Gold Glove-caliber defense. Rizzo being one of the key players on the 2016 championship team puts him over the top, but Lee would have been a perfectly acceptable choice.
Other Players of Note: Mark Grace and Fred McGriff