Top 30 athletes under 30
By Robert Judin
25. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs – 23 years old
The expectations for Kris Bryant in 2015 were basically as high as they could possibly be. After he hit 43 home runs in 2014 combined between his stints in AA and AAA, Bryant finally made it up to the big leagues with the Chicago Cubs in 2015.
He debuted on April 17, and did not disappoint at all. In 151 games in 2015, Bryant collected 559 at-bats and hit .275 with 26 home runs and 99 RBI. He tacked on 31 doubles and five triples along the way.
Bryant formed a very scary middle of the lineup for the Cubs with first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo narrowly missed making this list, and it was Bryant’s athletic ability and versatility that put him ahead of his teammate.
The majority of Bryant’s time this season has been at third base where he made 17 errors on the year, but if the Cubs end up holding onto Starlin Castro, the overcrowded infield could push Bryant toward a future of playing center field. He played 19 games in the outfield this season and didn’t make a single error — small sample size but productive.
He may have struck out 199 times, but he was No. 10 in the National League with 77 walks. If Bryant can develop a little more patience at the plate, he’ll be even deadlier than he is right now.
Bryant’s swing may be a little long, but he’s very effective. He was voted into the 2015 MLB All-Star Game and helped lead the Cubs to the 2015 NLCS.
This was only year one. Be afraid, pitchers of the MLB, be very afraid.
Next: No. 24 Clay Matthews