NEWSLETTER
There’s really no question that Kris Bryant’s career has taken a sharp and unexpected turn after he left the Chicago Cubs. In his first season with the Rockies, Bryant hit just 5 homers over 22 games and was worth 0.6 WAR. Last season, he slashed .233/.313/.367 with 10 HRs over only 80 games, worth -1.3 WAR. And he went hitless over his first five games this season, before finally getting his first knock against the Cubs on April 2.
And all of this after he signed a seven-year, $182M deal with the Rockies. Even though we all thought that deal was over-priced the day it was signed, I don’t think anyone expected things to go quite this poorly this soon.
Kris Bryant Booed Twice
So when Bryant struck out with a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the second inning yesterday, the Rockies crowd booed him pretty heavily:
Six innings later, however, Bryant extended the Rockies lead with a two-run homer, his first of the season:
But apparently, the Rockies fans have short memories. In the top-half of the ninth inning, the Rays plated five runs and took the lead. That set up a bases loaded opportunity for Kris Bryant to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, he struck out again.
And again, the Rockies crowd showered him in boos … the guy that just hit a critical home run one inning prior.
That’s brutal. And it’s hard not to feel for the guy.
Now, with that said (and for however much I hate it for Kris Bryant, who meant everything to Cubs fans), I don’t think boos are out of line. I do think these boos were misdirected, given what he had just done in the eighth, but booing is a fan’s right. These guys all make a lot of money, Bryant especially, and they can deal with some boos.
Kris Bryant on Receiving Death Threats
What’s not ever okay, though, is what Bryant described after the game.
“I’ve been through it all – death threats, kill yourself … all the craziness that this game will dish out. It’s just what I’ve been trying to talk with these young guys about. Nolan was going through it early on, and I just told him it takes courage to keep showing up. It’s going to make you a better person at the end of your career. It’s something that I’ll be able to teach my kids through adversity, how do you respond to it. And you just gotta keep going.”
“…but (yes) I’ve had (death threats) before; I mean a lot of people here (have). It’s the way of the world and it’s a little bit unfortunate that it sometimes goes there.”
Well, while I appreciate Bryant’s perspective and his perseverance, that is certainly not something he or his teammates should have to endure. I really do feel for him.
We Still Love Ya
To end this post on a bright note, let’s remember some of Kris Bryant’s achievements with the Cubs.
After being selected by the Cubs as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Kris Bryant became the 2014 Minor League Player of the Year, the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year, and the 2016 NL MVP. He is a 4x All-Star, and, of course, made the final out of the 2016 World Series for the Chicago Cubs.
As a Cub, Bryant slashed .279/.378/.508 over 833 games and 3,626 plate appearances. Among the Cubs all-time leaderboard, Bryant ranks 7th with a 136 wRC+, 15th with 160 homers, and 17th with 30.5 WAR. He is one of the greatest Chicago Cubs to ever do it. And I hope he knows we’ll never forget everything he did for this franchise.
