You are purchasing a 2012 Topps Musuem Collection Archival Autographs card AA-AR serial numbered 133/399 of Anthony Rizzo.  The card showcases Rizzo’s swing in his Padres Uniform.  There is Rizzo’s on card auto signed in a crisp blue sharpie certified by Topps.  There is silver foiling bordering the photograph of Rizzo.  As an added bonus, you will receive a 2022 Topps 1987 style insert card #T87C-7 and a 2025 Topps series one Anthony Rizzo #14.  These cards are an absolute must have for any Anthony Rizzo collector/fan/investor!

      
Anthony Vincent Rizzo (born August 8, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A top minor league prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization, he was acquired by the San Diego Padres after the 2010 season along with three other prospects in exchange for All-Star player Adrian Gonzalez. Rizzo was traded to the Cubs in 2012. Rizzo was a sixth round draft choice out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Red Sox. He was heading for Florida Atlantic University before he was drafted and signed with a $325,000 signing bonus. He played in the Red Sox organization with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, Greenville Drive, Salem Red Sox and the Portland Sea Dogs. Rizzo hit 12 home runs in 2009. In 2010, he hit a combined .260 with an on-base percentage (OBP) of .334 and a slugging percentage (SLG) of .480 along with 42 doubles, 25 home runs and 100 RBIs between stops at High-A Salem and Double-A Portland. He credited the easing of his swing and making better use of his legs for his power surge.

On December 6, 2010, Rizzo was traded along with Casey Kelly, Reymond Fuentes, and Eric Patterson to the Padres for three-time All-Star first baseman Gonzalez. Rizzo was considered the best power hitting prospect in the Red Sox organization. Kevin Boles, Rizzo's manager at Salem, also previously managed Gonzalez in the minors. Boles said, "Rizzo reminds me a lot of Adrian Gonzalez ... Rizzo is a bigger kid and has a little more power, Adrian is a little more of a contact hitter, but they had very similar styles of play ... We thought very highly of Anthony Rizzo. He's going to be a heck of a player.'" Padres General Manager Jed Hoyer expected either Rizzo or Kyle Blanks to eventually be the Padres major league starting first baseman.

The Padres invited Rizzo as a non-roster player to their Major League camp for 2011 Spring Training. He started the 2011 season in Triple-A with the Tucson Padres. In his first 15 games, Rizzo hit .452 with six home runs and 24 RBIs. In May 2011, The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that Rizzo's debut in the Major Leagues might be delayed by the Padres despite the club's hitting deficiencies due to cost considerations created by the "Super Two" exception for salary arbitration eligibility. The team cited Rizzo's lack of experience above Double-A and his limited exposure to left-handed pitching as benefits of him continuing to play in Tucson.

He was called up to the majors after hitting .365 with an OPS of 1.159 along with 16 homers and 63 RBI in 200 at-bats over 52 games in Tucson. The San Diego Union-Tribune called Rizzo "the most celebrated Padres call-up" since Roberto Alomar debuted with the team in 1988. Rizzo's promotion was prompted by the Padres' inadequate offensive production and fielding play of veterans at first base. In his debut on June 9, 2011, against the Washington Nationals, Rizzo struck out in his first at bat, but then proceeded to hit a triple and score a run, helping the Padres to a 7–3 victory. He hit his first home run on June 11 against John Lannan. After three games he was 3-for-7 with a double, triple and a home run, while demonstrated patience in drawing four walks for a .667 on-base percentage (OBP). On July 22, 2011 Rizzo was demoted back to Triple-A, and Blanks was promoted. Rizzo was recalled to the majors on September 4 after finishing the season at Tucson batting .331 with 26 homers and 101 RBI in 93 games. Hoyer believed Rizzo would be the starting first baseman for the Padres in 2012 with Jesus Guzman as the second option.

On January 6, 2012, the Chicago Cubs acquired Rizzo and right-handed starting pitcher Zach Cates in exchange for right-handed starting pitcher Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na. The deal was negotiated by Hoyer, the Cubs' general manager. Hoyer had also drafted Rizzo while working as an assistant general manager for the Red Sox, and later acquired Rizzo while he was the Padres' general manager.

Rizzo started the 2012 season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. He again excelled in the minor leagues, batting .342 average with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs before being recalled by the Cubs on June 26. Similar to his call-up in San Diego, he was expected to help a struggling offense.

He became the first player in Cubs history to have three game-winning RBIs in his first five games with the team. He hit seven homers in July, the most by a Cubs rookie in a calendar month since Mel Hall hit nine in August 1983. He also led National League (NL) rookies that month in homers, hits (32), RBIs (17) and total bases (55). He ranked second among NL rookies in runs scored (14), and he was third with a .330 batting average, .375 on-base percentage and .567 slugging percentage. He was named the league's July Rookie of the Month.

On May 12, 2013, Rizzo agreed to a 7 year, $41 million deal. The deal includes two club options that could make the contract 9 years, $73 million. Known as a no-nonsense team player, and having an off-year, in 2013 Rizzo showed although good power, belting 23 homers and 40 doubles in 606 trips to the plate with a .233 hit avg.

Rizzo had his fifth multi-homer game on May 31, and his second career Walk-off home run on June 6. Rizzo was voted into the All-Star game via the final vote by fans along with White Sox pitcher Chris Sale. Rizzo joined teammate Starlin Castro in Minneapolis for the All-Star game. In late July, Rizzo won his first Player of the Week award. In mid-September Rizzo became the youngest player to receive the Branch Rickey Award as "a strong role model for young people". Rizzo finished the season with a combined on-base and slugging percentage of .913 (3rd in the NL), 32 HR's (2nd in the NL) and an at-bats per HR percentage of 16.4 (2nd in the NL) and placed 10th in the National League MVP voting.

Rizzo was elected on the player's ballot for the 2015 All-Star Team. It made the second consecutive year he played in the game. He also competed in the 2015 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby for the first time in his career, but lost in the first round of the derby to Josh Donaldson. Rizzo hit his 100th career home run and 300th RBI on September 8, 2015, against Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha. Rizzo was hit by a pitch 30 times in 2015 and joined Don Baylor as the only other member of the 30HR/30HBP club. Rizzo finished the regular season with a .278 batting average, 31 home runs, 38 doubles and 101 RBI in 701 plate appearances and placed 4th in National League MVP voting.

Rizzo started as the first baseman at the 2016 All-Star game, receiving the most fan votes in the National League. By the end of the year, Rizzo had become one of three players, and the first left-handed player, in Cubs history to hit over 40 doubles and 30 home runs in the same year.  Rizzo played in 155 games with 583 at bats and scored 94 runs. He was hit by a pitch 16 times, had 170 hits with 43 doubles, 4 triples, 32 home runs and 109 RBIs. He finished the year with a batting average of .292 and was fourth in the voting for National League Most Valuable Player. Rizzo's fielding excellence was rewarded with a Gold Glove Award. Rizzo was one of six finalists for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award and was the Cubs nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. After an extremely slow start in the postseason, Rizzo broke out of his slump in the NLCS. He was an integral part of the last three victories over the Los Angeles Dodgers and led the Cubs to their first World Series appearance since 1945. In the 2016 World Series, Rizzo scored 7 runs and had 5 RBIs, and helped the Cubs win their first World Series title since 1908. He also won the Esurance MLB Award for "Best Social Media Personality" and for "Best Play: Defense". Rizzo's defense saved 11 runs for the Cubs which led all MLB first basemen and he was recipient of his first Fielding Bible Award and the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award. He also won the fan vote for the Platinum Glove Award. Rizzo took home two more awards for the year. One was the Silver Slugger; It's awarded to the best offensive producers at each position in the field in both the American and National Leagues. It was Rizzo's first time receiving the award. The last one was the MLBPAA Cubs Heart and Hustle Award. It was Rizzo's third time receiving the award from the Cubs organization.

Rizzo celebrates the final out of the 2016 World Series

With the Cubs in a season-long slump and playing .500 baseball, Manager Joe Maddon inserted the power-hitting Rizzo into the lead-off spot in an away game against the New York Mets on June 13. In the next seven games, the Cubs went 5–2 and Rizzo hit 4 home runs (3 to lead off a game). By June 20, Rizzo had reached base in the first inning in his first seven games as a leadoff hitter and became the first player to reach safely to start the first inning in his first seven career leadoff appearances in over half a century of Major League baseball. He had 12 hits in 28 at-bats with 10 RBIs and hit .430 during the streak. Rizzo finished second behind the Nationals Ryan Zimmerman in a tight race for starting NL first baseman in the 2017 All-Star Game. On September 2, Rizzo became the fourth Cubs players to hit at least 30 home runs, 30 doubles, and 100 RBIs in three or more seasons; the others were Hack Wilson, Billy Williams, and Sammy Sosa.

For the season, he batted .273/.392/.507 with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs. He led the majors in hit by pitch, with 24.

Rizzo had a disappointing postseason. In 37 at-bats he had one home run in 5 hits, 6 RBIs and an anemic batting average of .135. On October 27 Rizzo was named as the 2017 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award for his charity's work to find a cure for childhood cancer. Of winning the award, Rizzo said, "This is amazing. The greatest award you can win. It will go front and center in front of anything I've ever done."

On April 10, 2018, Rizzo was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his MLB career, due to a back issue. Prior to a May 23 game against the Cleveland Indians, Rizzo ranked fourth in Cubs franchise history with 17 home runs during interleague play. On July 23, Rizzo convinced Cubs manager Joe Maddon to let him make his first career pitching appearance. It took him two pitches to retire A. J. Pollock of the Arizona Diamondbacks on a fly out to center field.

Rizzo finished his 2018 campaign batting .283 with 25 home runs and 101 RBIs in 153 games, and was 3rd in the major leagues in hit by pitch, with 20. Tied for Gold Glove Award votes with Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, Rizzo received the award for the second time in his career.

In 2019, Rizzo hit .293/.405/.520 with 27 home runs and 94 RBIs. He led the major leagues in times hit by a pitch with 27.  He also received his third career Gold Glove Award.

In the shortened 2020 season, Rizzo played in 58 games and finished with a .222/.342/.414 hit line, 11 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 3 stolen bases. Rizzo also received his fourth Gold Glove Award; his third in a row. After the season ended the Chicago Cubs picked up Rizzo's last year of his seven-year, $41 million contract which paid Rizzo $16.5 million for the 2021 season. Rizzo was one of the first players that the Cubs traded for under Theo Epstein to help kick off the rebuild.

In 92 games for the Chicago Cubs, Rizzo batted .248/.346/.446 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases. In an April 28 game against the Atlanta Braves, Rizzo moved from first base to pitcher in a 10-0 Atlanta rout. He recorded two outs against three batters faced, including a strikeout of Freddie Freeman on a 61-mph 2-2 curveball.

New York Yankees

On July 29, 2021, Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees along with cash considerations for Alexander Vizcaíno and Kevin Alcántara.

His first game with the Yankees was on July 30 against the Miami Marlins. In only two games, Rizzo made an immediate impact by going 4 for 5 with 2 plus hits, 2 solo home runs (in each of his two games), 3 walks, and 5 runs overall, becoming the first player in the franchise history to achieve this feat. He also became the first Yankees player of all-time to get on base eight times (including a hit-by-pitch), the seventh Yankee to homer in his first two games.

On August 4, Rizzo hit a solo home run during a game against the Baltimore Orioles, making him the first player in team history to RBI in his first 6 games with the Yankees. He also became the fourth MLB player with RBIs in his first 6 games with a new team, joining Jim Spencer (1973), Jim Wynn (1974), and Bobby Murcer (1977). On September 30, Rizzo hit his 250th home run during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a solo shot in the sixth inning off of starting pitcher Robbie Ray. He became the first Yankees player since Derek Jeter to reach this milestone while playing for the team. 

On March 17, 2022, the Yankees signed Rizzo to a two-year $32 million contract.  Rizzo hit a home run in each of the first two games of the season making him only the second player in the modern era to homer in his first two games with a new team, and again in that team's first two games the following season. On April 26, Rizzo hit three home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. For the 2022 postseason, Rizzo finished with a .276 batting average with 8 hits, 2 home runs and 8 RBI's in 29 at bats. On November 7, 2022, he exercised an opt out clause in his contract and became a free agent.

Rizzo signed a two-year, $40 million contract with an option for the 2025 season on November 15, 2022. In a May 28, 2023, game against the San Diego Padres, Rizzo tagged Fernando Tatís Jr. out as the result of a pickoff attempt. In the play, Tatís knocked Rizzo to the ground, causing him to leave the game with what was described as a neck injury. Prior to the Padres game, Rizzo had batted .304/.376/.508 with 11 home runs. However, in the 46 games that followed, he hit just .172/.271/.225 with only one home run. On August 3, the Yankees placed Rizzo on the injured list with post-concussion syndrome, with the belief that the injury stemmed from the Tatís incident. On September 5, manager Aaron Boone announced that Rizzo would be shut down and would not play again in 2023. Rizzo was transferred to the 60–day injured list on September 12, officially ending his season.

Rizzo began the 2024 season as New York's primary first baseman, hitting .223 with eight home runs and 28 RBI across 70 games. On June 18, 2024, he was placed on the injured list after suffering a broken arm in a collision with Boston Red Sox pitcher Brennan Bernardino.  Rizzo was transferred to the 60–day injured list the following day. He was activated on September 1. On September 28, Rizzo fractured multiple fingers on his right hand after being hit by a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was later ruled out for the Yankees' ALDS matchup against the Kansas City Royals. He was later readded to the Yankees' roster ahead of their ALCS matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. After the Yankees lost the 2024 World Series, the Yankees declined his $17 million option for the 2025 season, paying him a $6 million buyout instead, making him a free agent.

 

Career highlights and awards

2× All-Star (2014, 2015)

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