Column: When it comes to hype, top prospect Matt Mervis is following in Anthony Rizzo’s Chicago Cubs footsteps

Matt Mervis arrived at Wrigley Field Friday morning to make his Chicago Cubs debut in the opener of a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.

It was the most anticipated debut by a Cubs prospect since Kris Bryant in 2015, though Mervis’ call-up more closely resembles that of first baseman Anthony Rizzo 11 years ago.

Rizzo’s Cubs debut on June 26, 2012, was one of the most hyped events in years and served as the unofficial start of president Theo Epstein’s rebuild.

“I’m here to stay,” Rizzo said before the game. “I’m just going to work hard every day, learn, get better, go through the ups and down of a baseball player, the nicks and bruises, and that’s about it.”

WGN-Ch. 9 hyped the arrival with a commercial promoting the broadcast. Newspapers added o the hysteria, including a Chicago Tribune graphic — with the headline of “The second coming” — comparing Rizzo’s arrival on the North Side with Babe Ruth going from the Red Sox to the Yankees.

“Anthony Rizzo hit one home run in 49 games with the Padres. Babe Ruth had a .981 OPS and 2.19 ERA in five-plus seasons with the Red Sox. Still, the hype for Rizzo’s first game on the North Side reached Ruthian levels. So we might as well start the comparisons. A look at the debuts of Ruth and Rizzo with their second teams.”

The Tribune regrets the error.

Rizzo turned out to be a special player in Cubs history, but any resemblance between him and Ruth was purely coincidental.

The 22-year-old Rizzo went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the Cubs’ 5-3 win over the Mets and received a standing ovation before his first at-bat.

Mervis arrives as Epstein’s replacement, Jed Hoyer, is in a key year in his own rebuild — one that he steadfastly refused to call a rebuild.

Hoyer said Friday he brought up Mervis because the first baseman was ready and the Cubs offense was in a rut. They hit .158 with runners in scoring position on the 1-6 road trip to Miami and Washington.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him,” Hoyer said. “Certainly it’s a lever to pull to bring him up to play a lot, but at the same time we’re not expecting him to carry the lineup or do anything other than what he can do. We were really good on offense in the beginning of the season. Obviously we’re in a bit of a dip right now.”

Rizzo had the advantage of playing in San Diego in 2011 before being dealt to the Cubs, where he was immediately dubbed the “savior.”

“I was the ‘savior’ last year (in San Diego) too,” Rizzo said that day in 2012. “And that’s why I think it’s easier this year to come up. Hopefully this is just a building block of what is to come here in the city and the organization. Hopefully we can look back and this is one of the first steps.”

Rizzo turned out to be one of the first steps in building a championship team, while Mervis moves into a complementary position behind players like Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner.

Mervis said Friday morning he “kind of blacked out” when he got the call but he regrouped and call his mom, who cried. He knows he’s going to be the focus of this lineup for a while to see if his slugging power translates to the majors, but insisted it wouldn’t affect him.

“I don’t really pay attention to it,” Mervis said of expectations. “I expect to come in and help us win right away. Whatever Twitter or the media is saying about me, I’m sure I’m thinking the same thing about my own performance.”

Manager David Ross inserted Mervis into the No. 7 spot against Marlins starter Edward Cabrera. Rizzo made his Cubs debut in the No. 3 hole against the Mets, where manager Dale Sveum batted him in 82 of his 85 starts in ‘12.

Times change, but players come and go. Rizzo thought he would be a Cub the rest of his life after helping lead them to a World Series in 2016. But Hoyer dealt him to the New York Yankees at the trade deadline in July 2021 after the two sides couldn’t agree to a contract extension, and Rizzo has embraced his new chapter in New York.

How will Mervis fare in his Cubs debut?

Stay tuned.