I’ve been called a Kris Bryant fan boy far more times than I can count. Thing is, I have never apologized for it. This is because, when Kris is healthy, he is the best player on the Chicago Cubs – and it isn’t close. Not only is KB the best player on the Cubs, he is the most valuable player in the National League.
In the Cubs first 19 games of 2021, Bryant has a .313/.400/.641 slash line, 5 HR, 15 runs scored, and for those that count RBIs, hes collected 12 of those. Over his last several 6 games, he’s been out of this world. From April 17th through today, Bryant has a .478/.538/.826 slash line, posting a RIDICULOUS 1.364 OPS. He has also posted a .574 wOBA and 264 wRC+ (100 wRC+ is league average).
When you look at the more advanced stuff, this is where I get pretty excited.
So far in 2021, Bryant has a .437 wOBA and 177 wRC+, which both rank eighth in the NL. He’s already posted a 1.1 fWAR, which is second in the NL this season (behind Ronald Acuna Jr.). That fWAR puts him back on top on the National League, with a 29.4 fWAR since the 2015 season.
A lot of his success is because Bryant is healthy. After a 2018 season where his shoulder limited him to 102 games, then a 2020 season where he had an impact fracture, seeing his success in 2021 is great for those of us who have been behind him all along. I think it is also great for Bryant himself, because he doesn’t have to hear the trolls from social media.
Not only is Bryant healthy, he’s been tearing the cover off the ball. His average exit velocity in 2021 is 90.1, almost 3 MPH harder than his career average. He is barreling 16% of the pictures he hits, which is 7% higher than his career norm. He has a 44% hard hit%, which he hasn’t don’t since his rookie campaign.
Part of Bryant’s success is because he’s hunting pitches early in counts. He’s doing this at a pace we haven’t really seen from him before. So far, in 2021, he is seeing 3.7 pitches per plate appearance. Over the course of his career Bryant has averaged nearly 4 pitches per. Bryant is still patient, and he’s taken 9 walls in 2021, but he’s not allowing pitchers to get ahead early in the count with get-me-over pitches.
I know a lot of folks will chalk his performance to it being a contract year. I’m certain a little bit of his success is because of the contract motivation. But if you think that’s the *only* reason for his 2021 season, you haven’t learned anything about this kid since 2015.
Kris has always strived to be the best. He’s suggested it several times throughout his career, and he works incredibly hard year in, year out to make that happen. He, and his dad Mike Bryant, work tirelessly in the cage, fixing this, fine-tuning that, and adjusting an approach that has won him the Golden Spikes Award, Minor League Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and MVP. You don’t do that and not be one of the best players on the planet. You don’t do that and not consistently work to improve.
I am incredibly excited to see where his 2021 takes him. I don’t know if he is an MVP in 2021, but I wholeheartedly believe Bryant will have a *better* season than he had in his 2016, MVP season.
I have been reminded by several MLB insiders, players like Kris age very well. This is a bit different of a story than we heard when he was younger. The reasoning they gave was because of his intellect and ability to adjust, learn, adjust, and continue to motivate himself to get better, puts him in a class of players that tend to get better with age. That experience, knowing how one will attack you, and knowing you have a tool in your tool belt to battle back against it. The Kris Bryant Revenge SZN is in full effect, and not only am I here for it – I’ve been championing it for a long time.
