To date, 2013 first round pick Kris Bryant (2nd overall) has done the following:
Short season Low-A:Â .354/.416/.692, 4 HR, 1 3B, 8 2B in 77 PA.
High-A:Â .333/.387/.719, 5 HR, 1 3B, 5 2B in 62 PA.
Arizona Fall League: .371/.458/.771, 6 HR, 1 3B, 8 2B in 82 PA.
That, quite simply, is a hitter. They are all small samples, to be sure, even when you add them up. But they look as good as it gets.
David Laurila at FanGraphs recently interviewed Bryant about his hitting prowess, and it’s a Q&A worth your time. Bryant is impressive in his responses and his understanding of the game.
A sample comment from Bryant:
I think you have to look for pitches in certain zones. In high school, you can get away with just looking middle and adjusting — and maybe a little in college. Here, you have to figure out how they’re approaching you. Pitchers know how they’ve gotten you out in the past, and you have to adjust your plan accordingly. A lot of it depends on the pitcher, but also, I’m a big guy, so I expect a lot of hard stuff in and some soft stuff away.
You have to be ready for that mistake over the plate. The inside corner and outside corner, on the black, are pretty tough pitches to hit. Most of the time, all you can do is foul those off. On occasion you’ll hit one of those pitches hard, but for the most part, hitting is about taking advantage of mistakes. Pitchers aren’t perfect.
Bryant gets into pitch recognition and plate discipline, finding pitches to drive, using his power, and much more. Great read.