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Cubs' Kris Bryant Isn't A Sabermetics Guy

(CBS) Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant isn't into sabermetics.

The reigning National League MVP and one of baseball's young stars, Bryant hears plenty about exit velocities, launch angles and advanced numbers. When he does, he more or less purposely ignores such information.

"It takes the kid out of the game," Bryant said in an interview with Jason Goff and Anthony Herron on 670 The Score on Thursday afternoon. "When I was growing up, there was no who cares how hard you hit the ball or whatever. If you got a hit, you were happy. There was no exit velocity or any of this launch angle or these new stats that they're coming up with. It's just making the game -- some like it -- but it's just, some of it takes the joy and stuff out of the game and why you started to play. Sometimes that's frustrating. I do realize that's kind of where the game is going. It's up to me if I really want to look at that stuff or not. Sometimes I'll look at it, just to see exactly what it is. But half the time, I don't understand it. So that's a good thing."

Bryant simply doesn't want to be overloaded with information at any point in time, preferring to rely on his instincts.

"It's everywhere," Bryant said. "If you want something, you can have all the information you want. But for me, I don't need to look at that to make myself feel better or try to change something. I know if I hit the ball hard or if I don't hit the ball hard or if I put a good swing on it or I didn't. I don't need a number to tell me that you're doing this or that wrong or any of that. I chose not to look at that. It's just way too much information at times.

"You don't want to go up to the plate thinking, 'Oh my gosh, my exit velocity is at 87.3, I have to hit this one 100 miles per hour to bring it up.' There's so much information nowadays that, you know, that's kind of been a goal of mine this year, is to just forget about all that craziness and let the people on TV and stuff talk about that and let me, I just want to go out there and play.

"I don't even know how it all works."

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