EPISODE · Sep 15, 2025 · 1H 20M

Anthony Rizzo with Mike Cleary

from Pod of Fame · host Jim Miloch

Jim is joined by friend of the pod Mike Cleary to discuss the hall of fame candidacy of former Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo. First, Jim and Mike cover the Chicago Cubs dominance from 2015-2018 and whether winning just one World Series was disappointing in retrospect (15:05). Then, they discuss Rizzo's elite defense at first base, take a deep dive into the 2016 World Series, and debate whether the Cubs should retire Rizzo's jersey (22:02). Finally, they compare Rizzo through age 26 with the likes of Freddie Freeman, Joey Votto, and Paul Goldschmidt (1:06:15), before making a final call on whether or not Rizzo belongs in the HOF (1:12:46).