As major league baseball nears the All Star Break, we look for our favorite superstars to do their superstar things. We see Miguel Cabrera hitting everything in sight, Mike Trout showing he is the best overall talent in baseball and Albert Pujols shoot up the all-time hitting record books. Soon, we will be looking at the next great superstar to wow us-Kris Bryant.
Around the Foghorn
Kris Bryant had an incredible 2013. In his last year at the University of San Diego, he won the Golden Spikes Award, given to the best amateur player in the United States. The Chicago Cubs then drafted him with the second overall pick. To end the year, he won the MVP Award in the Arizona Fall League.
All along the way, he crushed opposing pitching with ease.
Since being drafted, the 6-5, 215 pound third baseman has drawn comparisons to Dave Kingman. There are a couple of differences between the two, however. Brant is a much better overall hitter, and he won’t take your head off for asking a simple question. Take a look at his body of work:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 21 | 3 Teams | A–A+-Rk | 36 | 128 | 22 | 43 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 35 | .336 | .390 | .688 |
| 2013 | 21 | Cubs | Rk | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .143 | .333 |
| 2013 | 21 | Boise | A- | 18 | 65 | 13 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17 | .354 | .416 | .692 |
| 2013 | 21 | Daytona | A+ | 16 | 57 | 9 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17 | .333 | .387 | .719 |
| 2014 | 22 | 2 Teams | AA-AAA | 87 | 318 | 76 | 113 | 26 | 0 | 30 | 80 | 11 | 2 | 51 | 100 | .355 | .451 | .720 |
| 2014 | 22 | Tennessee | AA | 68 | 248 | 61 | 88 | 20 | 0 | 22 | 58 | 8 | 2 | 43 | 77 | .355 | .458 | .702 |
| 2014 | 22 | Iowa | AAA | 19 | 70 | 15 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 23 | .357 | .423 | .786 |
| 2 Seasons | 123 | 446 | 98 | 156 | 40 | 2 | 39 | 112 | 12 | 2 | 62 | 135 | .350 | .434 | .711 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/7/2014.
Bryant’s power is mesmerizing fans. He is hitting home runs at an alarming rate. At the start of this season, He was at the Cubs’ AA-affiliate, Tennessee. He put up Roy Hobbs-type numbers there.
In 68 games with the Smokies, Bryant had a .355 batting average, a .702 slugging percentage and a 1.16 OPS. He smashed an incredible 22 homers, had 58 RBI and mashed 20 doubles. He was hitting a home run every 11.3 at bats.
That certainly earned Bryant a promotion. Could he continue his tear at Triple-A Iowa?
“I’ve just been blessed with power. I started hitting home runs at 8, it really honed in at 12, and it kept going.” -Kris Bryant
Well, to start off, his first five hits in Iowa were all homers. In 18 games so far, he has 24 hits, 13 of them extra base hits. He is hitting .364 and slugging .773. His OPS is 1.20. He has seven homers and 20 RBI. He is hitting a home run every 9.4 at bats.
“I’ve just been blessed with power,” said Bryant. “I started hitting home runs at 8, it really honed in at 12, and it kept going.”
In his senior year at San Diego, Bryant was getting the Barry Bonds treatment. In his first 33 games, hitting third in the lineup, he was walked 24 percent of his plate appearances. He had an robust .507 on-base percentage. His coach then decided to move him up to leadoff. The walk percentage was still high at 22 percent, and his on-base percentage went down just a little, to .493.
The legend of Kris Bryant is growing by leaps and bounds.
League scouts and executives have described Bryant as “A monster with ridiculous power,” “All Star third baseman…soon,” and “Ryan Braun with less speed and less steroids.”
Braynt now has a Twitter hashtag, which signals a superstar’s presence. The hashtag is called #KrisBryantFacts.
Here is a small sample of Kris Bryant Facts that will amaze you:
– 2/3 of the earth is covered by water. The rest is covered by Kris Bryant’s home run balls #KrisBryantFacts
– Iowa hasn’t been this important since Field of Dreams. #KrisBryantFacts
– He once arm wrestled the Hulk, the loser had to paint himself green. #KrisBryantFacts
– Kris Bryant doesn’t always hit home runs, but when he does … Wait no he always hits homeruns #krisbryantfacts
– He is what @LilJon turns down for #KrisBryantFacts
In mid-June, Bryant participated in the Southern League’s home run derby. He crushed 16 homers in three rounds to (of course!) win it.
Through all the expectations and accolades, Bryant remains grounded. He loves to represent his hometown of Las Vegas, calling it a real town with real people. He posts his preseason goals on the mirror in his bathroom, taking a look at it every day when he brushes his teeth. “It’s something to strive for that I see every day,” said Bryant.
His feats have Cubs fans clamoring for Bryant to come up to the major league club. Team President Theo Epstein, though, said that he won’t be called up this season. He still has some things to work out, like cutting down a little on his strikeouts, and the team will have to decide whether he will be the third baseman or right fielder of the future. You could figure, however, that Bryant will be somewhere in the Cubs’ lineup next season.
The Cubs were fortunate to have Bryant at the second spot. The Houston Astros had the first pick, and they went with the hometown kid, pitcher Mark Appel. I wonder if they would make the same choice if given another chance.
With a stroke of luck, the Cubs were able to get a player who is at the top of the charts in power AND attitude. Soon, Kris Beyant will become the next great superstar.
Add us as a preferred source on Google