Since his high school days in Parkland, Florida, Anthony Rizzo has been considered a very talented first baseman. His talent was noticed quickly and before his 18th birthday he was playing professional baseball for the Boston Red Sox farm system. His road to success has not been an easy one, but he continues to shine as one of Major League Baseball's most interesting prospects as of 2011.
High School Years
Anthony Rizzo was born Aug. 8, 1989, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He excelled in baseball while playing at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. His talent, hard work and competitive nature were noticed by many scouts as he was finishing his senior year. He had a .468 batting average with 48 RBI during his high school career. At 17, he was drafted in the sixth round by the Boston Red Sox organization, foregoing his scholarship to attend Florida Atlantic University.
Boston Red Sox
While playing in the Boston Red Sox minor league organization, Rizzo spent time playing for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, the Greenville Drive, the Salem Red Sox and the Portland Sea Dogs. From 2007 to 2010, Rizzo won awards including Minor League Defensive Player of the Month in July 2009; Eastern League Player of the Week August 2-8, 2010; Most Valuable Player for the 2010 Portland Sea Dogs; 2010 Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year; and was selected to several All-Star teams. Perhaps his most important award is 2009 SoxProspects.com's Comeback Player of the Year, after his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.
Cancer Recovery
In May 2008, at age 18, Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which put not only his professional baseball career in jeopardy but also his life. After a quick start to the baseball season with Greenville Drive, batting .378 in the first month, Rizzo's cancer treatments forced him to miss the rest of the season. He spent the remainder of the year receiving chemotherapy and made a full recovery. With a clean bill of health, he went back to working out and conditioning and rejoined his team for the start of the 2009 season.
San Diego Padres
In December 2010, Rizzo was traded along with three other Red Sox players to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Major League first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. It is said he was one of the key players that made the trade possible. He started the 2011 season with the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Tucson Padres, where he is listed as a left-handed hitting first baseman standing 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 220 lbs. He is considered one of the Padres' best prospects and some baseball experts predict he will be playing for the major league team before the season is over.
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