After homering zero times between June 25 and July 25, Anthony Rizzo has now homered in three of his last four games. Dude has some streakiness, eh?
The latest shot came in the Cubs’ Sunday night win over the Cardinals, just out of the reach of a very disappointed Tommy Pham in center field:
.@ARizzo44: leadoff machine. pic.twitter.com/Yxms4igx7s
— MLB (@MLB) July 30, 2018
The Greatest Leadoff Hitter of All-Time.
Rizzo’s success in that leadoff spot, of course, extends well beyond a resurgence in his power. Since becoming the Cubs’ leadoff hitter on July 13, Rizzo has come to the plate 68 times and is hitting an absurd .411/.500/.696 (209 wRC+) over that stretch. Who knows whether it’s just a coincidence, or whether it just clicks with Rizzo for whatever reason, but I don’t think anyone wants to see him moved right now.
Thanks to the super hot streak, Rizzo’s season long-long numbers are back up a solid .263/.360/.440 slash line with a 113 wRC+. His walk rate is down, his power is down, and his BABIP is down, there can be no doubt. But he’s also hitting fewer ground balls, making the same hard contact, making less soft contact, and striking out less than last year. There remains reasons to believe that Rizzo’s overall numbers are subject to some good old fashioned bad luck.
But ever since he became the leadoff hitter, that bad luck has evaporated. I hope the Cubs just keep riding it.