Levine: Cubs' Kris Bryant Named NL Rookie Of The Year
By Bruce Levine--
(CBS) Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was the winner of the National League Rookie of the Year award in a unanimous decision, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced Monday evening.
The 23-year-old Bryant took the honor over Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang and Giants third baseman Matt Duffy, the other finalists. Bryant had all 30 first-place votes, while Duffy came in second place.
The 2015 season for Bryant and his Cubs teammates culminated in 97 wins and a trip to the National League championship Series. Despite the loss to the Mets in a four-game sweep, Bryant and company had a season to remember and to build on for the future.
Bryant started the season at Triple-A. That in itself was a story, after he hit nine homers in spring training to lead everyone in the majors. Bryant was then optioned to the minors at the end of March for service time considerations, as doing so gave the Cubs an extra year of contract control on the back end. They'll control him through 2021 now.
Instead of pouting, Bryant handled the ordeal like a pro. After seven minor league games, he shook off a bad MLB debut on April 17 to hit.318 in April. The ups far out weighed the downs for the affable and likable young star the rest of the season.
The numbers show that Bryant was one of the top players in the entire NL. He hit .275 with 26 home runs, 99 RBIs, an .857 OPS and .369 on-base percentage. Add in the intangibles of defense, base-running and being a team player, it gives you a greater appreciation for the young man. Bryant far surpassed what many envisioned for him as a first-year big league performer.
Bryant became the sixth rookie of the year in Cubs history. The award was first handed out in 1947.
Bryant joins Billy Williams (1961), Ken Hubbs (1962), Jerome Walton (1989), Kerry Wood (1998) and Geovany Soto (2008) on the list. Like the last three rookie winners in franchise history, Bryant's performance was key to the Cubs' postseason trip.
"If you are a teammate or a fan of the Cubs, you have to be excited about the future," Cubs left-hander Jon Lester said. "When you see how Kris and some of the other young guys approached games, you have to be impressed. He had that great approach all season, even when we were out of games like the last one. (Bryant hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning of the Cubs' elimination game against the Mets.) We were out of contention and Kris still ground out at-bats."
The impressive slash line numbers don't even reflect the whole picture. Bryant had 18 infield hits, tied for the highest percentage (14.4) in baseball. He also hit .333 with the bases loaded and .292 with runners in scoring position while stealing 13 bases.
On defense, Bryant may have been the most improved player from season start to finish. He made 17 errors, the sixth-fewest in the NL at his position. He was impressive in improving on his release of the ball, without a hitch in his throws by season's end. Bryant worked endless extra time with infield instructor Gary Jones in order to get lower in his defensive setup from pitch to pitch. For a player who stands 6-foot-5, this was no easy drill.
Bryant was also available and versatile enough to play all three outfield positions without making an error out there.
The season included Bryant setting a franchise strikeout record of 199 whiffs. That was the eighth-highest strikeout number in MLB history. Despite that high number, Bryant had an on base percentage of .369, the second-highest on the team to Anthony Rizzo and 21st-best in all of baseball. Bryant set franchise rookie records for home runs and RBIs.
After making the All-Star team but hitting only .168 in July, the amazing rookie campaign for Bryant was resurrected in August and September. He hit .333 in those two months, pushing his team into wild-card and playoff berth control.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
