Anthony Rizzo Wins Marvin Miller Man Of The Year Award For Humanitarian Work

Anthony Rizzo already has a Roberto Clemente Award to his name, but now he has more hardware to boast.

Anthony Rizzo Marvin Miller Award win news

The Chicago Cubs first baseman — who helped lead his team to a World Series victory in 2013 — took home the prestigious Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award on Wednesday.

Named for the founding executive director of the modern MLB Players Association, the Marvin Miller Award is given each year to the player who contributes the most to his team and to his community through charity.

Rizzo has done several good deeds through his Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, which he established in 2012, four years after he was diagnosed with a limited case of cancer form Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The foundation focuses on helping children and their families affected by the disease.

This year he committed more than $4 million to establish the Hope 44 program at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, which he regularly visits. The 18th-floor waiting room at the hospital is named in his honor.

“On the field you want to do things the right way, you want to play the game the right way,” Rizzo said. “Off the field I really try to use the platform that we’ve been provided by Major League Baseball to go out and help. It’s amazing what it can do to someone — a moment can last a lifetime for them, seeing a person in a Cubs jersey. That’s what I try to keep and remember at all times.”

On Dec. 3, Rizzo will perform another humanitarian deed: that day, he will host his sixth Walk-Off for Cancer in his hometown of Parkland, Fla. It’s been a great year for the first baseman: he got engaged to his girlfriend Emily Vakos this summer.

Sammy Sosa was the last Cub to win the Marvin Miller Award in 1999.

In other MLB news, the Gold Glove Awards were handed out on Tuesday. Rizzo’s teammate, Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward, won his fifth Gold Glove. Here is the full list of winners:

CATCHER

National League – Tucker Barnhart, Reds (1)

FIRST BASE

AL – Eric Hosmer, Royals (4)
NL – Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks (3)

SECOND BASE

NL – DJ LeMahieu, Rockies (2)

SHORTSTOP

AL – Andrelton Simmons, Angels (3)
NL – Brandon Crawford, Giants (3)

THIRD BASE

AL – Evan Longoria, Rays (3)
NL – Nolan Arenado, Rockies (5)

LEFT FIELD

AL – Alex Gordon, Royals (5)
NL – Marcell Ozuna, Marlins (1)

CENTER FIELD

NL – Ender Inciarte, Braves (2)

RIGHT FIELD

AL – Mookie Betts, Red Sox (2)
NL – Jason Heyward, Cubs (5)

PITCHER 

AL – Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays (1)
NL – Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks (4)

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 19: Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubs hits a two-run single in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 19, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena

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