Anthony Rizzo shatters the archetype of the invincible sports hero. A World Series-winning power hitter, his career is defined as much by vulnerability and empathy as by home runs, from surviving cancer at 18 to willingly taking fastballs to the ribs for his team. This deep dive explores how a terrifying diagnosis forged the psychological armor of a franchise-altering leader.

Diagnosed with limited-stage classical Hodgkin's lymphoma while his grandmother battled breast cancer, Rizzo endured six months of chemotherapy before returning to baseball. After a brutal .141 stretch in San Diego, executive Jed Hoyer bet on his character three separate times, a gamble that helped end a 108-year Cubs championship drought and fueled a foundation for pediatric cancer research.

• He won the platinum glove in 2016 and caught the final out of the  ...