Anthony Rizzo. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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(WSCR) As the North Side is abuzz with the anticipation of Anthony Rizzo, one Cubs minor league expert is tempering his excitement.
“I’m on the fence,” Deene Ellis, the voice of the Iowa Cubs, told The McNeil and Spiegel Show. “Part of it is he had a chance last season with San Diego and didn’t do very well. So, hopefully, as he’s made some adjustments this offseason and the results will be better. I’ve been around the Cubs long enough where I remember Hee-seop Choi, Corey Patterson and Felix Pie, who were three pretty highly-touted guys who had the potential to be All Stars. They did well in the minor leagues, but it just didn’t work out at the big league level.”
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In 49 games with the Padres last season, Rizzo hit .141 with eight doubles, one home run and nine RBIs. Through 70 games with Triple-A Iowa this season, Rizzo is hitting .342 with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs.
“In his case, he put up just overwhelming numbers, not only for power – he hit a lot of home runs and drove in runs – but the batting average, we’re talking .350 and .360,” Ellis said. “He avoided the slump. Sometimes, when they have that hole in the swing, (pitchers) will exploit that and they’ll go in 0-for-18 or 2-for-20 stretches – that just didn’t happen with Anthony. He has the talent to be a good big league player, and he has the potential to be an All Star up there, it’s just a whole new world when you’re in the big leagues.”
