Kris Bryant: Cubs Were Over NLCS Loss 'Pretty Quick,' Are Embracing Increased Expectations

(CBS) A breakthrough 97-win 2015 season ended for the Cubs with a humbling four-game sweep at the hands of the New York Mets in the NLCS. Whereas those same Mets have talked extensively about being driven by their World Series loss to the Royals, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said his team hasn't dwelled much on the ultimate chapter of last season.

"You can look at the way we went out and losing four games and be mad about that, but honestly I think a lot of us were over that pretty quick," Bryant said in an interview on the Spiegel and Goff Show on 670 The Score on Wednesday morning. "We learned a lot from it, and it's only going to help us this year. It was a great year last year. We went a lot further than some people thought we were going. Personally, it was a great year for me, a lot of learning and a lot of growing. Just as a team, I think it puts us in a really good position for this year. I'm excited to see how we do and how we handle that failure at the end of last year and how strong we come out this year."

The Cubs have been pegged as the World Series favorites in Vegas, and there's only one way to face those expectations, Bryant said.

"It's the only way to play this game, is to have fun with it," Bryant said, lauding the culture created by manager Joe Maddon. "If you're just being serious and thinking about baseball 24/7, you're going to go crazy and you're not going to make it very far in this game. You really got to have some fun out there."

Listen to Bryant's full interview below. He also hints that he may be the new face of fashion retailer Express, talks about the impact of new Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward and responds to a question of whether he or Bryce Harper is a better player.