He Did It! Kris Bryant is Named The National League MVP!
Hey, this Kris Bryant kid is kind of good, huh?
Well that’s what the Baseball Writers Association of America determined as they named Kris Bryant the National League MVP in 2016. Bryant has had an outstanding start to his career, winning the Minor League Player of the Year award in 2014, the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2015, and now he has been named the Most Valuable Player in 2016. Bryant won the award on the back of a .292/.385/.554 season in which he lead the Chicago Cubs with 39 HR, and finished second on the team with 102 RBI. Bryant lead the league in runs scored (121) and had a 7.7 WAR.
Bryant, who had solid competition from both the Washington Nationals Daniel Murphy and the LA Dodgers Corey Seager, really separated himself from the competition through his ability to play at a high level at both third base and in the outfield. While Bryant had the highest WAR among the finalists (7.7 to Murphy’s 4.6 and Seager’s 6.1), it really was his versatility that made Bryant the clear choice in 2016.
With winning the 2016 NL MVP award, Bryant has become the first player in baseball history to win College Player of the Year, Minor League Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and MVP in consecutive seasons. Seriously, IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME.
It is assumed that Kris took the lead in the MVP race in late August when he hit two home runs against the Dodgers, the last of which was a 10th inning blast that won the game.
The Cubs, of course, won the World Series while often times riding on the shoulders of Kris Bryant. While the MVP is a regular season award, baseball fans got to see how much the Cubs reacted when Kris was able to produce. Bryant seemed to be a catalyst for this Cubs offense, and it seemed as if everyone relaxed after Bryant’s game-tying home run in game five, his solo home run in game six, and his aggressive base running in game seven. The players around Bryant reacted.
Congrats to Kris Bryant, a well deserved MVP.
I don’t seem to be waking up from this great dream I’m having that the Cubs are World Champs and our players are knocking down one award after another.
Maybe I’m not dreaming after-all !!