Rizzo Effect? How Anthony Rizzo Could Give the Padres a "Posey-Like" Spark
The 2010 San Diego Padres shocked the baseball world by leading the NL West for most of the year, and staying in contention until the final day of the regular season.
After trading franchise player Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox in December for three prospects, nobody anticipated the Padres to contend in the 2011 season.
So far, they haven't failed to disappoint the critics.
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As two of the prospects from the deal, pitcher Casey Kelly and outfielder Reymond Fuentes, continue to work their way up San Diego's minor league system, the struggling Padres had no choice but to call up slugger Anthony Rizzo from Triple-A Tucson on Thursday.
Rizzo was tearing up the Pacific Coast League, hitting .365 with 16 HR and 63 RBI in just 52 games.
One can't help but draw the comparison to Giants catcher Buster Posey and his promotion to the big leagues last May. At the time of Posey's debut, the Giants ranked 14th in runs scored in the National League. The Padres currently rank 16th.
The Giants' pitching kept them only 2.5 games out of first place at the time Posey made his first appearance. The Padres 4th best league ERA has left them within striking distance in the NL West.
Also paralleling Posey, Rizzo seems to be mature beyond his years and ready to become the new face of the Padre's franchise.
To say that the Padres will now go on and win the World Series this season would be ludicrous. Rizzo is not Adrian Gonzalez. The defense is not as sound as it was last year and the team chemistry doesn't seem to be on par of that of the 2010 Padres.
However, the Padres now have a legitimate power threat in the middle of the lineup, and the pitching has been pretty good. The Padres will also play the majority of their games the second half of the season on the road, where they have been a much better team than at spacious Petco Park.
Don't be surprised to see Rizzo make an immediate impact and help the Padres stick around the weak NL West for most of the season.
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