“Playing with heart in baseball, to me, is just going out there every day and laying it all on the line.” – Anthony Rizzo

Commitment is ongoing. It’s a relentless pursuit of excellence that requires a willingness to give your all to the game and your team. It’s defined by determination, assessed by attitude, and measured by heart.

Few Big Leaguers give more of themselves to the game or play with more heart than Anthony Rizzo. He leads by example, on and off the field, as his commitment extends from the clubhouse to the community.

“For me to go out and not be energetic or give my best is unfair,” said Rizzo. “There are a lot of kids that get tickets for Christmas or their birthday. They’ve been waiting for this one day in the middle of August, and we’re on a 10-day road trip, or just getting home, and we’re tired. You’ve got to go out there and give it your best because you owe it to them and your teammates.”

Positive role model, good teammate, fierce competitor, fan favorite, champion. Anthony Rizzo has been described as all of these things. The way he plays the game with heart and pursues excellence relentlessly has earned him each of those distinctions. Each has been well-earned and well-documented going back to his early professional days where his heart got him through one of the biggest obstacles of his life.

Shortly after being drafted out of high school by Boston in 2007, Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 18. Rather than letting his ailment limit him, Rizzo fought back with the help of his family, friends, and fans. After months of chemotherapy and treatment, he entered remission in 2008 and has been cancer-free ever since.

The courage, strength and heart Rizzo displayed during his battle with cancer has stuck with him throughout his career, which includes three All-Star selections and a world championship all before the age of 28. Each year since 2015, Rizzo has finished with 30+ homers, over 100 RBI, and a slugging percentage over .500.

On the field, Rizzo leads by example. His confident, resilient demeanor make him an outstanding teammate, and he’s widely considered the heart of his team. In 2015, Rizzo earned the MLBPAA’s Heart and Hustle Award given to the player who “best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of baseball.”

Rizzo’s heart and commitment extend beyond the diamond in many ways. He founded the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation whose mission is "to raise money for cancer research and to provide support to children and their families battling the disease.”

Through the foundation, Rizzo has helped to raise millions of dollars to aid patients and families at the Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, FL, and the Family Reach Foundation among many others.

For his extraordinary efforts with the foundation, Rizzo was honored with the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."

"This is amazing,” Rizzo said about being honored with the Roberto Clemente Award. “The greatest award you can win. It will go front and center in front of anything I've ever done.

Rizzo also received the 2017 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award given to the player "whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to higher levels of achievement."

On and off the field, Rizzo’s heart and commitment to the game and his community shine through in everything he does. Anthony Rizzo: positive role model, good teammate, fierce competitor, fan favorite, champion.