Re: Rizzo Nickname

[El Duderino]

it's like a laid-back/on valium Gary Sheffield stance.

[neely crenshaw]

His swing is very smooth, doesn't seem like much but then the ball jumps. Yesterdays blast looked like a nice shot the other way, then it just carries out.

[17 Seconds]

#8

[Pushfrog98]

#8

Holy crap. Seriously. Silky smooth swing.

[ctcf]

Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein

Very much so; still needs approach refinement. RT @OffAirOnPoint: @Kevin_Goldstein swing change from Rizzo elevate his ceiling?

[Theo]

KG has been poo-pooing Rizzo from day 1

[Beer Kaese]

If it's unacceptable to call him Rizzo, then I'll call him The Rake. Sorry if it's taken, I didn't want to read 9 pages.

[El Duderino]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/qa-ben-revere-and-anthony-rizzo-adjusting-to-stardom/

 

“I’d say that my mechanics are a little different from when I first signed. My hands are lower, but I’m still relaxed. I’ve always been a relaxed hitter. I’ve been taught to always put a good swing on the ball and be in a ready position. That’s the main thing I try to do.

 

“A lot of credit goes to Dave Joppie, who was my hitting coach in Double-A [in 2010, with the Red Sox]. He taught me how to hit for power. I had never hit for a lot, and in Portland that year I hit 20 home runs. I give him a lot of credit for that. He helped me with my legs and my hands.

 

“He told me that my swing then, in Double-A, is not going to be anything like it will in the big leagues. He was completely right. It’s just evolved. If you look at anybody’s swing from four years ago, it’s probably going to be different than it is now. Even two years ago. That’s just baseball.

 

“Joppie is so individual with everyone, and he knows how to talk to the players. He really gives them confidence and that’s the main thing with hitting. You have to have the confidence.

 

“I’ve learned how to pull more balls that are inside, but I primarily try to stay to left-center and into the gaps. Occasionally I’ll run into one. Turning on a ball is all reaction. If you’re in a ready position and have confidence, you can pretty much hit anything.

 

“When I got called up last year, I felt that I was ready as can be. It just didn’t work out. Fortunately, I got traded here and things are going well. I want to keep building off of this success.

 

“What I learned [last year] is that it’s the same game. Pitchers aren’t throwing any pitches I haven’t seen before, so I have to just keep it simple.

 

“I don’t think I necessarily tried to hit any differently [in Petco Park]. Maybe subconsciously I started to, but mostly I wasn’t keeping it simple. I was thinking too much and was trying too hard. It was like I wanted to get four hits in one at bat, and that’s obviously impossible.

 

“Petco is tough. I don’t think guys do it on purpose, but when a ball doesn’t go out in batting practice that normally should, maybe you’ll try to swing a little harder. If you try to do that, it’s usually not going to go well.

 

“[starting this season in Triple-A] was frustrating, because I worked hard in Spring Training. But it was also the best thing for me. I needed to go down there and hit, and hit fastballs, and hit them hard. That’s exactly what I did, and I feel good about where I am now.

 

“I’ve been on a mission all year to prove wrong the people who had kind of written me off. It feels good to be having success, but I also know that I need to go one day at a time and one at bat at a time.”

[Guest]

ops down to .832. i have a sad.

 

at least he's not striking out

[Andy]

ops down to .832. i have a sad.

 

at least he's not striking out

.832 isn't 1.032, but I'll still take it at this juncture.

[Guest]

mitch williams just said rizzo is trying to earn a spot on the team for next season

[El Duderino]

mitch williams just said rizzo is trying to earn a spot on the team for next season

 

Mitch is great.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Mitch is a bumbling fool.

[XZero771679666304]

Mitch is a bumbling fool.

 

That's generous characterization. I'd go with ignorant, knuckledragging buffoon at the very least.

[Guest]

ops getting close to dropping below .800. has a .740 OPS or something like that since the break. under .550 in august.

 

do we worry at all? he's still not striking out and he definitely doesn't look overmatched, but he's making a ton of weak contact.

Edited August 18, 2012 by 17 Seconds

[El Duderino]

God no. Just stop.

[Guest]

i mean i'm not saying worry about him sucking, but does it change his outlook at all if he ends up with half a season's worth of PA and a sub .800 OPS? i mean, that wouldn't be horrible or anything... but given his performance in iowa, i think we would have said an .800 OPS would be a bit of a disappointment for this season's progression.

[sneakypower]

he just turned 23, like a week ago; only five players that age or younger have a better OPS right now (his babip is about 50 pts below where his xbabip suggests it should be, also)

 

really good HR rate - check

really good K rate - check

really good defense - check

 

sure i'd like him to be a tougher out against lefties, but there's really not much to be concerned about with him, at all

 

i can't imagine how much you panicky weirdos would be freaking out about guys like Bryce Harper or Eric Hosmer right now

[Guest]

you act like it's a guarantee that a guy will be good based on minor leagues numbers or something. no, there's no guarantee hosmer will be good either. he should be, but it's just projection at this point. it's baseball, stud prospects flame out sometimes.

 

where did i do anything close to panic? i was just wondering if it has changed his outlook at all. any time you're talking about a player that hasn't established himself in the majors yet, nothing is a sure thing. everything looks great so far, but that doesn't mean he's automatically going to be awesome.

 

i really don't think it was an unfair question, and it wasn't me being pessimistic either. if i was talking about castro (a proven MLB hitter) it would be different. all rizzo has really proven so far is that he mashed the PCL 2 years in a row and has a nice start to his second major league season. i'm just wondering if his "struggles" over the last month or so are anything to be concerned about, since we don't even really know for sure how good this guy will be.

[davell]

I think we all probably upped our expectations somewhat when we were seeing the guy devour AAA. Still, at his age, I don't know what the ceiling actually is. But I DO think he's a future All Star caliber 1B, so that's good enough for me. If his OPS falls under .800 this season, I'm not going to worry about it.

[KaiserCesar]

I can't remember who, but before the call-up, some analyst predicted a slash for Rizzo of like .290/.360/.480. A lot of people thought the power projection was pretty low based on his AAA numbers, but I think most said they would take that this year with some improvement expected going forward. That being said, his power hasn't dropped off a cliff when comparing it to anything but his PCL stats. I'm impressed with how he's performed considering he has changed his swing completely and nearly halved his K rate through a significant number of PA's.

[Guest]

1-9 with 4 strikeouts today.

[Sammy Sofa]

And he went 2-5 with no strikeouts yesterday! WHAT A COUNTRY.

[weis21]

he just turned 23, like a week ago; only five players that age or younger have a better OPS right now (his babip is about 50 pts below where his xbabip suggests it should be, also)

 

really good HR rate - check

really good K rate - check

really good defense - check

 

sure i'd like him to be a tougher out against lefties, but there's really not much to be concerned about with him, at all

 

i can't imagine how much you panicky weirdos would be freaking out about guys like Bryce Harper or Eric Hosmer right now

Best NSBB poster.

 

He's extremely young and is already put in a position where he's the team's "savior" and has a lot of pressure on him. Baseball is all about up's and down's. Hot streak and cold streaks. He's young. He's got a good track record. He's athletic. Good defender. He has good leadership qualities per his teammates (not to mention how surviving cancer can - I can only imagine and appreciate - put things in perspective). The dude is legit and just getting settled in. He freaking MASHED AAA pitching something terrible and is by no means looking overmatched at all now in the big leagues. Just a typical transition period.

[bhogg]

we should keep him, assuming DLee won't come out of retirement. . . .