The Superstars of Baseball Must Include Kris Bryant, Crosstown Cupping, and Other Bullets

May 11, 2018, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

I had a setback this week in the foot recovery process, though I’m not even sure what happened. I was up to jogging and jumping for a good week without issue, but then I just started to get pain in various spots earlier this week. It did not abate quickly, and so I’ve had to pull back quite a bit the last few days. Which sucks. I suspect that if I were a baseball player, the official word from the team would be “it’s not a setback, the recovery process is not linear, and we’re just being proactive to make sure to properly rest throughout the process and not lengthen his stay on the DL.” But it feels like a setback.

The Crosstown Cup gets underway today, and while the heat of the “rivalry” is probably turned down a bit right now given the relative states of the teams, don’t underestimate the modest extra “get up” the White Sox might have for a series like this. For the Cubs, it’s mostly just an opportunity to win some more games against a bad team. For the White Sox, this is one of the few things they have to play for right now.

Cubs. White Sox. Good morning. pic.twitter.com/OIbk9p1oqw

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) May 11, 2018

There has been a sizable and wholly subjective debate going on over the past few days over who the “superstars” are in baseball. Baseball writers at Yahoo were leading the discussion, but it was Jeff Passan’s perspective that got the most attention among Cubs fans:

My six guys:

– Trout: So good he has to be
– Harper: Great and polarizing. Which matters in this argument
– Judge: Yankee, massive HR
– Altuve: An oddity with most recent ring
– Ohtani: On curiosity/intrigue alone
– Kershaw: I’m iffy on this one but been the best for so long

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 10, 2018

This, to me, is an indictment on a baseball marketing machine that runs with all the efficiency of a Model T’s engine. A world in which Kris Bryant isn’t unequivocally and undoubtedly a superstar is one in which those doing the selling aren’t doing nearly a good enough job.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 10, 2018

I think Passan is right that MLB needs to do a better job figuring out how to spotlight its best and most marketable talent, but I simply can’t get on board with the idea that – even if you limit the list to just six names – Bryant is not one of the superstars of baseball:

I have seen the take.

In a universe where there are six "superstars" in MLB, any list that doesn't include Kris Bryant's name has made a grievous and possibly embarrassing error.

– Top 5 player in the game
– Major market, popular club
– Multi-award winner
– WS Champ
– This: pic.twitter.com/zFfwURjm6u

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) May 10, 2018

Also, superstar:

Hey Kris, you're about to make a sliding catch in the outfield. How do you feel? pic.twitter.com/jkGVV6pZdy

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) May 9, 2018

Joe Maddon reminds folks that, even as Kyle Schwarber sits a lot against lefties, it isn’t just about hiding him – it’s about making sure he gets rest and making sure other guys get starts (ESPN). In that way, it’s just kind of a convenient, optimizing thing to do, since you want to rest guys anyway to keep them at tip-top for the long haul. I’ve been wanting to see Schwarber get more starts against lefties, but, yeah, that’s a pretty good point.
The Cubs are quite right about this: