Chicago Cubs: This is the perfect lineup for the 2021 season
9. . 1B. Chicago Cubs. Anthony Rizzo. 44. player
4. Anthony Rizzo – 1B
Up to this point in his career, Anthony Rizzo is one of the best players in the history of the Chicago Cubs. He was the captain of the team that ended a 108 year World Series drought and was an elite player during those great years. Now, it seems like the Cubs are going to be unwilling to stay loyal to him beyond his current contract. We don’t know for sure if he will make it through his contract without being traded but for now, he is the Cubs cleanup hitter.
Like Baez and Bryant, Rizzo didn’t have his best season in 2020. In fact, the three of them playing as poorly as they did was one of the reasons that they weren’t very good in the playoffs. They made the playoffs despite their poor offense but it was a glaring issue once the postseason began. Rizzo needs to be better in 2021 to maintain this spot as the cleanup hitter.
As tough of a season as Rizzo had, he was still a player with 1.0 wins above replacement. He is a fantastic player that deserves respect. If he doesn’t finish his career out with the Cubs, some team is going to be very happy to have him. For now, if you are trying to create the perfect possible 2021 Cubs lineup, Anthony Rizzo should be penciled in for the cleanup role.