Anthony Rizzo’s sixth major-league season had the ultimate storybook conclusion: the Cubs’ star first baseman batted .360 in the World Series after a regular season in which he hit 32 home runs and had 109 RBIs.
In retrospect, Rizzo might’ve produced the No. 1 regular season in the history of Tucson minor-league baseball, 1969-2013, during the Toros/Sidewinders/Padres Triple-A years.
In 2011, Rizzo hit .331 for the Tucson Padres, smashing 26 homers and driving in 101 runs. Here’s why it stands alone: Rizzo played in just 93 games that season. The Padres summoned him to San Diego in August and he did not return to Tucson.
Rizzo became just the sixth Tucson Triple-A player ever to drive in 100 or more runs. The difference is that Rizzo had more than 100 fewer at-bats than the others, which is astonishing.
Here’s the breakdown:
1977: Pat Putnam, 130 RBIs in 550 at-bats
1980: Alan Knicely, 105 RBIs in 539 at-bats
1982: Jim Tracy, 100 RBIs in 567 at-bats
2002: Lyle Overbay, 134 RBIs in 579 at-bats
2008: Josh Whitesell, 127 RBIs in 570 at-bats
2011: Rizzo, 101 RBIs in 419 at-bats. Rizzo also hit 26 homers, more than any of the other 100-RBI Tucsonans.
