Chicago Cubs Send Anthony Rizzo to Minors, Avoid First Base Logjam

The Chicago Cubs certainly have high expectations for first base prospect Anthony Rizzo.

The team's decision to send him to minor league camp on Friday is no indication otherwise. Rizzo is expected to begin the season with Class AAA Iowa. 

General manager Jed Hoyer traded for Rizzo while he was in charge of the San Diego Padres' roster, getting him as part of the package for Adrian Gonzalez. And team president Theo Epstein was the Boston Red Sox GM when the team drafted the first baseman out of high school in 2007.

It was virtually no surprise, then, when the Cubs acquired Rizzo for three players, including pitcher Andrew Cashner. Rizzo ended up as something of a consolation prize at first base, after it became clear that the team would not be pursuing free agent Prince Fielder. However, viewing him that way has more to do with circumstances than perception.

Rizzo wasn't expected to be the Cubs' first baseman in 2012, anyway.

This year, at least, the job goes to Bryan LaHair, who put up monster numbers at Iowa last season. LaHair batted .331/.405/.664 with 38 home runs and 109 RBIs. That obviously warranted a promotion, and LaHair, 29, will get the chance to prove he can sock the ball in the majors as well as he did in the minors.

Naturally, this raises the question of what the Cubs will do when Rizzo is deemed ready for the big leagues.

Does LaHair block Rizzo at first base? Or do the Cubs try to move someone to a different position. LaHair has played some outfield in his minor league career, while Rizzo has never played anywhere professionally besides first base. 

But moving LaHair to the outfield probably isn't a realistic option with the Cubs committed to Alfonso Soriano and David DeJesus in the corner outfield spots through at least 2013. (DeJesus has a team option for 2014.) 

That would seem to leave a trade as the only eventual option. But that's a nice problem the Cubs can deal with in the future. They should have one year to figure out what their best strategy is. And there are plenty of holes to fill on that roster. 

Rizzo probably won't see the majors this season, as Hoyer believes he was rushed to the big leagues too soon in San Diego. His numbers bear that out, as Rizzo compiled a .141/.281/.242 slash average to go with one homer and nine RBIs before he was sent back to the minors.

At 22, he looks more like the future at first base and will get plenty of time to marinate in Iowa. 

But if Rizzo puts together another 25-homer, 100-RBI season, Hoyer and Epstein might have to make a decision sooner than planned. That would be a good sign.