Week 1: Anthony Rizzo

It seems fitting to start 2018 with a returning favorite of this blog. Anthony Rizzo has been my MLBoyfriend of the week in both 2016 and 2017. He's not resting on his laurels though. He went far above and beyond to earn be my first MLBoyfriend of the season.

Rizzo hit a home run on opening day, but lots of players did--29 to be exact for a total of 33 home runs in on the first day of the season. However, Rizzo's was special. Playing in Miami, just a few miles from his hometown of Parkland, he wore a patch in memorial to the seventeen victims of the shooting at his alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He paid tribute to them as he reached home plate.

Not only did Rizzo wear a Stoneman Douglas t-shirt during opening day warmups...

...All of his teammates on the Chicago Cubs squad did.

All this would have been enough, but Anthony Rizzo has gone beyond symbolic gestures. His foundation has raised $300,000 for the victims and their families.

Thank u to everyone who supported the @FansAuthentic #MSDSTRONG auction. We r proud to announce we raised $300,000 which will go to help meet the immediate & long-term needs of the victims & their families. We ask for ur continued support as the Parkland comm. continues to heal

— A. Rizzo Foundation (@RizzoFoundation) March 30, 2018

Rizzo has also been a strong supporter and defender of the student activists from Stoneman Douglas. He has also called for stricter gun control laws.

I'm proud to say the first MLBoyfriend of the year is #MSDstrong.

I'd also like to give a shout out to the Miami Marlins. The whole organization has stepped up to the plate in the wake of the Parkland shooting. The Marlins have also been #MSDstrong.