Growing up around the game, ‘choke and poke’ was very much a common expression. Choke up, shorten your stoke and make contact – especially when down in the count. It makes sense. Cut down on strikeouts and you never know what might happen.
But as I’ve grown older, this seems to be embraced by fewer and fewer hitters. We live in the age of the long-ball, as evidenced by ever-rising home run totals. But one guy, known as a power hitter at a position traditionally dominated by power hitters, stands apart: Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo.