![Anthony Rizzo hit fewer home runs, in 2018, than a year ago, [Image via Arturo Pardavila III/Flikr]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/11/25/660x290/b_502x220x82/5-stats-that-tell-the-story-of-anthony-rizzos-season-image-via-arturo-pardavila-iiiflikr_2151529.jpg "Anthony Rizzo hit fewer home runs, in 2018, than a year ago, [Image via Arturo Pardavila III/Flikr]")
In some regards, Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo had a better season in 2018 than he did in 2017. In other aspects, he had a worse one and directly contributed to the team losing out on the division title. There are five stats that tell the story.
Slugging percentage
Rizzo hit fewer home runs than a year ago, but it was more than that. His slugging was down and not by just a little. After four straight seasons of slugging over .500, he dropped to .470 in 2018. The question now is whether it's an outlier or a trend.
On base percentage
Rizzo's OBP being down might surprise some people because his batting average was actually up 10 points from .273 to .283. His on-base percentage was still down to it's lowest point since 2013. That's thanks in large part to drawing 21 fewer walks. Those fewer walks might have been in large part because he wasn't as powerful a slugger as he was in recent years. It's also possible the offense struggled around him, making opponents not have to pitch around him as much.
