NEWSLETTER
File this in the Feather in Your Cap department.
Baseball America has named San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant its 2013 College Player of the Year. The award is notable, of course, because Bryant was the Chicago Cubs’ top pick in this year’s Draft, selected second overall.
Bryant’s 2013 season is full of ridiculous, hilarious, absurd numbers, and the award is justifiable on that basis. BA’s writeup is also full of interesting nuggets about Bryant the player and the person, and is well worth your time if you’d like to know a bit more about the Cubs’ top pick this year.
The piece also notes that some scouts are willing to slap the “80 power” label on Bryant, which would give him the kind of mega-elite power you would associate with only a couple players in all of baseball at any given time (if that). The hit tool is described as a 60, which is also fantastic. You pair those together, and, if these scouts are right, Bryant is going to be a perennial All-Star talent for the Cubs. Of course he’s still got to develop and stay healthy, but dreaming on the talent is certainly fun.
Now the Cubs just have to sign the junior third baseman by the July 12th signing deadline, lest he return to school for his senior season. Coming off an all-universe season, and being selected second overall, it’s very hard to imagine Bryant spurning the Cubs (even if his advisor is Scott Boras). The slot value for that number two pick is about $6.7 million, and we’ll see how much of that the Cubs have to give Bryant to get a deal done.
