Kris Bryant, the Chicago Cubs third baseman and left fielder (and right fielder, first baseman, center fielder, and short stop) is the jack of all trades, playing multiple positions and tied for the national league in home runs. This year he will be getting my MVP vote (not that I can actually vote). Let's take a look at who Kris is and why he is getting my vote.
He was born in Las Vegas on January 4th. He attended the University of San Diego. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs with the second pick of the first round in the 2013 amateur draft. Bryant bats and throws right handed. He is 6' 5" and weighs 230 lbs. He debuted on April 17th, 2015 with 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB. He then finished the 2015 season with 154 hits, 99 RBI, 26 HR, and an average of .275. Bryant had an amazing rookie season playing in 151 games as well as being selected to be an All-Star for the National League, Home Run Derby and receiving NL Rookie of the Year.
Fast forward to this year, 2016. Bryant is currently batting .307, with 153 hits, 90 RBI, and 36 HR. He was selected to be an All-Star for the National League for the second year in a row (along with the rest of the Chicago Cubs infield). Bryant is projected to hit 44 HR and 102 RBI. Now he is already at 90 RBI so to reach 102 should be pretty easy. Out of the Cubs 672 total runs scored this season, Bryant has 111 of them. He is also leading the league in runs scored. His WAR (wins above replacement) is currently a 7.0, which means he has brought the team seven more wins compared to an average player. He leads the Cubs in average, HR, OBP (on base percentage), and hits. The only category he is not leading in is RBI, coming in second to Anthony Rizzo, another candidate for MVP, who has 93. Bryant's defense is nothing but above average. He has 148 assists, 14 double plays, and only 11 errors. His fielding percentage is a .947.
Kris Bryant has played 54 games in left field, 13 games in right field, one game in center field, six games at first base, one game at shortstop and 87 games at third base in 2016. Now you may think that is 162 games, which you would be right in adding those up. However, he has played multiple positions in different games. This provides the Chicago Cubs and their manager, Joe Maddon, with incredible flexibility when setting their lineup. It also provides an opportunity to give players a rest day and cycle around their lineup to provide the best chance to win.
To sum it all up, Kris Bryant is the NL MVP. He is a strong player on the field and behind the plate. Only making $652,000 this season, he is deserving of all that is ahead of him. He works hard and is just a great down-to-earth guy who loves to play baseball.
