Cubs' Kris Bryant Has A Great Explanation For Why He Isn't Into Bat Flips

(CBS) In this era of social media, the instant gratification desire of millenials and an abundance of exuberant young talent in MLB, much has been made over the theatrics of some hitters gazing at their no-doubt home runs and celebrating with an accompanying bat flip.

Is that showing up the pitcher? Is that violating an unwritten rule? Should unwritten rules even exist?

One who isn't into admiring his home runs is Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, the reigning National League MVP who hit 39 homers last season. The reason has much to do with his reserved personality, and when asked about bat flipping in an interview on 670 The Score on Tuesday afternoon, Bryant offered up a classic explanation with he doesn't celebrate in such a manner.

"If it's halfway up the video board, that's it, that's enough of a disgrace for the pitcher that you don't need to add anything to it," Bryant told Dan Bernstein and Jason Goff. "You crushed a home run, you felt good about it. He felt bad about it. And it's good."

Bryant emphasized that he has no problem with others bat flipping, but such a celebration just isn't for him.

"If you're watching a home run for a little bit, I don't know if that's necessarily showing up the other team, but certain guys play that way and certain pitchers are going to be upset seeing that," Bryant said. "But I think if you add more of that fun to the game, let guys be themselves -- I'll never do it, I'll be the same boring Kris that I've always been -- but if guys are going to do that, I think sometimes we're a little too sensitive with certain things.

"I'll never do it because I don't want to be the guy that thinks it's gone and it doesn't go out. Because once you're that guy, you're always that guy."

On the topic of home runs, Bryant also said he's unlikely to participate in the Home Run Derby during this year's All-Star festivities. Bryant participated in 2015 with his dad, Mike, pitching to him.

"I don't really have any interest in it," Bryant said. "I though it would be cool to do it once and have my dad pitch to me, but man, I'm slowly realizing, I've only been here two years, but it's a long season and it's important to kind of take advantage of any break you can get. The Home Run Derby now, with the format, it's a workout. I felt like throwing up after the first one. I was like, 'Man, I was swinging for five straight minutes' -- max effort too. It was tough, but it was fun to do it once."