Since he was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline, Anthony Rizzo has been a revelation for the Yankees. After experimenting with designated hitters and converted outfielders at first base for several years — and watching the team suffer because of it — Brian Cashman finally decided that he had at last seen enough and brought in a real first baseman for the first time since Mark Teixeira retired at the end of the 2016 season. The impact was immediate: Rizzo started compiling web gems as soon as his first series with the team, and as long as he was on the field for the rest of the season, fans stopped stressing over every routine throw to first.
Anthony Rizzo and the difficulties of evaluating defense at first base
