Let's Talk About Kris Bryant

Here's the thing about Bryant: he’s not much of a “cereal box” guy. Those who have followed his career know that he’s never been one to proclaim, “Hey I'll be the face of the organization." That's just not his style. However, throughout his entire career, fans have deemed him as “the guy,” so that’s what they expect from him.

And that’s what pisses me off.

Fans look at Bryce Harper, who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16 years old and was deemed “The Chosen One,” and then expect every highly touted player that comes after him to be just as good. Then those same people turn around and look at Bryant and say, “Oh, well he could never handle the pressure. He never panned out,” pointing to his last two seasons and his injury history. It’s an ignorant assertion.

Bryant’s last two full seasons with the Cubs (not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign) resulted in NL All-Star honors. In 2019, he slashed .282/.382/.521 slash line with 31 home runs, 35 doubles, and 77 RBIs. The 2021 season was more of the same. Before being traded to the San Francisco Giants, he smacked 18 home runs and 19 doubles with an .861 OPS. Talk about “not panning out,” right?

Let’s look back even further.

From 2015 to 2019, Bryant averaged 28 home runs, 33 doubles, 81 RBIs, a .284 batting average, a .901 OPS, and 141 games played per season. If he didn't get hurt in 2018 and played more than 102 games, those averages would only go up. But for some reason, many fans instead point to the games he missed, his injury history, or Bryant not being the exact style of "Cover Boy" that they expected. And somehow, that means he couldn’t handle the pressure? It makes no sense.

I don’t blame Bryant for signing his contract with Colorado. I really don’t. Maybe he’s just a classic case of: guy is good at baseball, guy spends entire life dealing with high expectations of being good, guy has good years to earn a high-paying salary, guy takes a big contract with a bad team, guy plays out career focused on being happy and being stress-free.

What’s so wrong with that?

Let’s rewind to 2016 from a fan’s perspective. Watching the Cubs win the World Series will go down as one of the greatest moments of my life. I’m sure most of the North Side faithful would say the same. At the same time, however, the 2016 MLB postseason was one of the most stressful times of my life. It was exhausting, mentally and physically, as I’m sure it was for millions of other Cubs fans.

Now look at 2016 from Bryant’s perspective. If that season was as exhausting and stressful as Cubs fans claim it was, imagine what it was like for a guy like Bryant. Imagine having to deal with pressure from millions of fans who pointed at you even before you set foot on Wrigley Field and were told, “You, you’re the guy that’s supposed to deliver us from the evil we’ve all had to endure for over a century!” Maybe Bryant was ready to get out of the spotlight after 2016, and who can blame him?

I get it, maybe Bryant’s comments about Colorado’s farm system could've been worded differently, but put yourself in his shoes. You’re coming off a year in which you hit free agency. Your agent is Scott Boras, so you know he’s going to get you the most money possible, regardless of the team. The Rockies have just traded away their cornerstone third baseman, Nolan Arenado, and basically gave away $50 million to the same team. Coors Field is a launching pad for hitters, the ownership has no grasp on the team's direction so there’s no stress to win, but they’re willingly passing out money to anyone, and Denver is a great place to relax. For a guy like Bryant, who’s already won his ring, doesn’t want the spotlight, and has an opportunity to make a boatload of money, it’s a no-brainer.

Does Bryant wish things could’ve gone a little differently when he first signed with Colorado? It sounds that way. But at the end of the day, he’s $180 million richer and living in beautiful Colorado with a stress level much lower than exists in a large market like Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York. And if he can stay healthy, he smacks 40 home runs in that launching pad of a park and earns himself a few more All-Star appearances.

For now, I just hope Bryant continues to find happiness with baseball. And for all the morons that want to slander his name and call him a bust, I’m not here for it. And neither are the rest of the real Cubs fans.