Kris Bryant ranked as Top 2 MLB Player for next five years |
The Chicago Cubs have a nice nucleus of positional players including standout third baseman
Kris Bryant. This is a 26-year old star that has already won NL's Rookie of the Year in 2015 and MVP award in 2016.
In 2017, Bryant hit .295 with 29 homers, 111 runs (5th in NL), 95 walks (3rd in NL), 73 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .409, and OPS of .946 (7th in NL). He changed up his approach to the plate and cut down on his strikeout rate (19.2%) while adding a career-best 76.7% contact rate. So what should Cubs fans expect out of Bryant in the future? ESPN released their latest article ranking the top major league players the next five years and had Bryant ranked No. 2 overall behind only outfielder Mike Trout. "I'll tell you exactly what I love about Bryant: Since his rookie season, he has dropped his strikeout rate by 37 percent," ESPN said. "While a younger Bryant was known for his ability to drive the ball out the other way, this more mature Bryant has done his damage to left and back up the middle. It's not that there's anything wrong with going the other way, but what I like is that Bryant has developed and adjusted his approach without making any sacrifices. He has completely changed his offensive profile on the fly, and he's three-for-three so far in generating some measure of MVP support in three seasons. Credit Bryant also for handling a variety of defensive positions while providing greatly underrated baserunning value. He plays like a star, acts like a star and looks like a star. He has star-level talent and star-level instincts. Although Bryant is a few years older than, say, Correa, he's about as safe as it gets. He's the easiest kind of player for a manager to handle." Bryant should have a huge year in 2018 as he matures even more as a bonafide star with the Cubs. The top ten players in the ESPN ranking were Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Francisco Lindor, Noah Syndergaard, Corey Seager, Aaron Judge, and Rhys Hoskins.
