Fansided

Best MLB player on each team in 2019

By Joshua Sadlock

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 30
Next
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 07: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs jogs across the field in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 07, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 07: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs jogs across the field in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 07, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant

MLB careers don’t get off to much better starts than the first two years of Kris Bryant’s tenure with the Chicago Cubs. He was the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year and helped propel the Cubs to the NLCS. Bryant followed that up by hitting .292/.385/.554 with 39 home runs and 102 RBI to win the 2016 NL MVP. More importantly, the Cubs finally ended their long (long) World Series drought.

Bryant set an extremely high standard for himself the first two years of his career, which has made his last two seasons look somewhat underwhelming. Despite a drop in his counting numbers, Bryant’s 2017 campaign was nearly on-par with his MVP season based on advanced metrics. He battled injuries all of 2018, and it dragged his line down to .272/.374/.460 with 13 homers and 52 RBI in 102 games.

The Cubs are off to a miserable start in 2019, and Bryant needs help from many of the other 2016 World Series heroes to carry a lineup that has not looked quite as unstoppable in the two seasons that followed their title. Javy Baez has also emerged as another MVP candidate, but Kyle Schwarber has not been able to live up to the hype that made him a folk hero in Chicago.

For the Cubs to keep pace with the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central this year, Bryant must be back at his MVP levels. He is the heart of the lineup, and a bounce back season would push the Cubs right back to the top of the list of contenders in the National League.

Home/MLB