On this episode of Dirt From the Dugout, Karl Ravech and Justin Musil welcome World Series champion and cancer survivor Anthony Rizzo, tracing his winding path from Parkland, Florida through a cancer diagnosis just one year after being drafted, two trades, and an eventual breakout in Chicago. Rizzo talks candidly about hitting his first real valley in travel ball during his junior year of high school, watching teammates like Hunter Strickland and Ryan Pressly transform from barely-throwing-90 prospects into dominant big leaguers, and why he believes today’s youth players are chasing advanced analytics before mastering the basics of fielding a ground ball or hitting a line drive off a tee.

He opens up about learning from teammates and opponents alike. He credits his relationship with hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and his daily at-bat breakdowns with Eric Hinske for shaping his approach at the plate. Rizzo also reflects on how beating cancer as an 18-year-old reframed every baseball struggle that followed, teaching him to find perspective and even enjoy the grind of a slump.

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