Kris Bryant

At 32 years old, Kris Bryant has this physical status:

Kristopher Lee Bryant (born January 4, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman and outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Prior to playing professionally, Bryant attended the University of San Diego, where he played college baseball for the Toreros. Bryant starred in baseball for Bonanza High School.

In college, he was named an All-American in 2012 and 2013, and won the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award in 2013.

The Cubs selected him with the second overall selection in the 2013 MLB draft and he quickly became one of the top prospects in baseball, winning the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award and Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award in 2014. Bryant made his major league debut in 2015.

He was named an MLB All-Star and won the National League's (NL) Rookie of the Year Award.

He was again named an All-Star in 2016, won a World Series championship with the Cubs, and was named the NL's Most Valuable Player.

Early life

Bryant attended Bonanza High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Playing for the school's varsity baseball team all four years, he recorded a .418 batting average, a .958 slugging percentage (SLG), 103 hits, and 47 career home runs. He also played American Legion Baseball. USA Today named him to their All-USA baseball first-team in 2010. The Toronto Blue Jays selected Bryant in the 18th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign, and enrolled at the University of San Diego, to play college baseball for the San Diego Toreros baseball team.

Personal life

Bryant was named his high school's salutatorian, but allowed a classmate to take the role instead when he found out how badly she wanted it. In college, he majored in biology before switching to finance.

Bryant's father, Mike, played in minor league baseball for the Boston Red Sox organization. Mike owned a patio furniture store but sold it in order to get a job that permitted him to coach his son.

Bryant and fellow baseball players Bryce Harper and Joey Gallo grew up as acquaintances in the Las Vegas area and began playing baseball with each other at the age of 9. Bryant and Harper's friendly competition was displayed in the May 2015 series against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field, when they greeted each other for the first time in the Major Leagues.

Bryant proposed to long-time girlfriend Jessica Delp in December 2015. They both grew up in Las Vegas and had dated since they were 16. They were married on January 7, 2017, with one of the groomsmen being Bryant's teammate, Anthony Rizzo. They have three children: a son who was born in April 2020; and twin boys who were born on July 11, 2022. They reside in the Denver area.

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College career

Bryant had a.365 batting average, a.482 on-base percentage (OBP), and a.599 SLG with nine home runs as a freshman at the University of San Diego in 2011. He was named a freshman All-American by the Louisville Slugger and the West Coast Conference (WCC) as Co-Freshman of the Year and Co-Player of the Year, with Marco Gonzales sharing both accolades with Marco Gonzales. Bryant spent a season in San Diego with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he batted 29-for-130 (.223) with three home runs and 16 runs batted in (RBIs).

Bryant batted.366, 14 home runs, and 56 RBIs as a sophomore in 2012. He was again selected to the first team All-WCC, and Baseball America named him as a first-team All-American. Bryant was chosen by USA Baseball to compete for the United States collegiate national team this summer.

Bryant led the country in 2013 after hitting 31 home runs as a freshman. Bryant had the most home runs since the NCAA converted to a BBCOR composite bat in 2011. Bryant reached the previous record of 30 set by Georgia Southern's Victor Roache in 2011 and accounted for more home runs than 223 of 296 Division I teams this season. Bryant received the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, which are both given to the top collegiate player in the country. He was also named as the Best of the Year by the Louisville Slugger First Team All-American, Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).

Professional career

Bryant was voted one of the best available players in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. Bryant was scouted by the Houston Astros, who had the first overall pick. Bryant was hoping he'd be selected by the Colorado Rockies, who had the third pick of the draft.

Following the Astros' pick of pitcher Mark Appel with the first overall pick, the Chicago Cubs selected Bryant with the second pick. The Cubs were supposed to pick a pitcher, which was surprising. The Cubs later admitted that they would have chosen Appel if they had him available. Many baseball executives and scouts agreed that Bryant was the safest pick in the draft. He was also rated as the best hitter in the draft because of his ability and making contact inside fastballs as well as down-and-away curveballs. Two days before the signing deadline, Bryant and the Cubs came to an understanding on a deal with a $6.7 million signing bonus.

Bryant began his professional career with the Boise Hawks of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, where he batted.354 with four home runs. On August 12, he was drafted to the Daytona Cubs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. Daytona's five home runs had him hit.333. He appeared in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) for the first time during the season. In the first week of the fall league season, he and Mitch Haniger were named co-player of the week, as well as Mitch Haniger. He was named MVP of the AFL after hitting.364/4.727 with six home runs in 20 games.

Bryant played for the Tennessee Smokies of the Class AA Southern League in 2014. He won the Home Run Derby in June and was in the All-Star game. After batting.355 with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs in 68 games with Tennessee, the Cubs promoted Bryant to the Iowa Cubs of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League on June 18. In July, he competed in the All-Star Futures Game. Bryant's 43 combined home runs between Tennessee and Iowa earned him the Joe Bauman Home Run Award at the end of the regular season. Bryant was named the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year and the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year. He was rated No. 1 by Baseball America as the No. 1 in the United States. In 2015, there was a 1 percent chance.

In 2015, Bryant was invited by the Cubs to spring training. He hit nine home runs in 40 at-bats, leading all players. He had a.425 on-base percentage and a 1.175 slugging percentage. Despite his success, the Cubs decided to move Bryant back to Iowa. According to baseball analysts, the service-time laws in baseball had the majority of the team's decision; if Bryant were to play 12 days in the minors before being promoted to the majors, the Cubs would receive another year of franchise control. "Today is a bad day for baseball," the MLBPA said in a tweet. Bryant was on three home runs and batted.321.

Bryant was called up to the majors by the Cubs on April 17, 2015. He made his Wrigley Field debut on Saturday, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Bryant hit his first batter, an RBI single, on the next day at Wrigley, England. Bryant scored his first home run in major leagues on May 9, off the Milwaukee Brewers' Kyle Lohse. Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets started his second home run against the Wrigley Fields two days later. Bryant had a.265 batting average, seven home runs, 22 RBIs, and 16 walks during May's NL Rookie of the Month award.

In a 17–0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on June 17, Bryant's first grand slam in his career came in the ninth innings off David Murphy. Bryant had two-run home run and his second grand slam of the season off Jarred Cosart in a July 4 game against the Miami Marlins. This made him the second Cubs rookie to reach two grand slams since Billy Williams in 1961. On the National League roster of the All-Star Game in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bryant was selected as an injury replacement for Giancarlo Stanton. He also competed in the Home Run Derby. Bryant was caught on July 25, against the Philadelphia Phillies, and he was out of reach for the last out of Cole Hamels' no-hitter. Bryant won by 9-8 over the Colorado Rockies on July 27, hitting his first career walk-off home run, a two-run shot off John Axford.

Bryant's home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks was 495 feet (151 meters), the longest of the 2015 MLB season, and off Rubby De La Rosa. Bryant tied Williams (1961) and Geovany Soto (2008) for the Cubs' franchise single-season RBI record for rookies with 86. He set the record by leading in a double during a run on September 11. Bryant led Williams for the most home runs by a Cubs rookie with 26 runs on September 22, a record.

Bryant batted.275 with 26 home runs, 31 doubles, and 99 RBIs, the most for a rookie since Albert Pujols' 130 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001. Bryant made 199 times, leading the National League and setting a new rookie record. He had the lowest contact percentage on his swings in the major leagues (66.3%). During the 2015 regular season, Bryant had the best-selling jersey in all of baseball, according to sales on Major League Baseball's official website.

With the Cubs finishing the season at 97-65, the team claimed a Wild Card spot in the MLB playoffs, the team's first playoff appearance in seven years. Despite Bryant's appearance in the 2015 National League Wild Card Game, the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4–0 and advance to the 2015 National League Division Series (NLDS), where Bryant hit a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals to help the Cubs win by 8.6 runs. The Cubs won the three-games-to-one series, but they lost in a four-game sweep to the New York Mets in the 2015 National League Championship Series (NLCS). Bryant was named Baseball America Rookie of the Year for the 2015 season, making him the first in history to win the Baseball America college player, minor league player, and major league rookie of the year awards in successive seasons. He was named the Best Rookie (Emery MLB Awards) by fans, journalists, former players, team front-office workers, and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Bryant received the Sports News Rookie of the Year Award for the National League, becoming the first Cub to win the award since Soto in 2008. He was also the unanimous winner of the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year Award (BBWAA), winning by a unanimous vote and the 11th National League player overall. He was also voted the "Players Choice Awards" National League Outstanding Rookie by his peers.

Bryant filed a remorse against the Cubs for delaying his call-up to the majors for the sole purpose of delaying his free agency, accusing the team of service time manipulation. "For me, it's just important to continue to go out there and do what I do so that I can help the team in any way possible in this situation," Bryant said, "It's just important for me to not even worry about it right now because it takes away from so much of what we're doing this year." And that was last year's coverage. The lawsuit had yet to reach a hearing as of April 2017. In January 2020, the complaint was finally heard after the arbitrator found against Bryant.

Bryant's salary for the 2016 season was $652,000, up 38 percent over his rookie salary. Bryant was the first MLB player to win by three home runs and two doubles in a single game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 27, 2016; he was 5-for-5 overall with 16 total bases in the 11–8 victory. He was selected to his second consecutive All-Star Game and first as the starting third baseman in the National League's first half of the season. Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox's first home run in an All-Star Game scored him in a first-inning home run. Bryant won by six runs in the first game of a late August series against the National League West-division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bryant had a batting average of.346 from the All-Star Break to the start of September. On August 18, he became the second player in major league history to hit five hits and five RBIs in two games in a single season, joining 1945 MVP Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs. Bryant batted.383, 2.120 OPS, 10 home runs, 22 RBI, and 29 runs scored in August, when the Cubs went 22–6. For August, he was named National League Player of the Month for the first time in his career, his first Player of the Month award. He led the league with 121 runs scored and 7.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per Baseball-Reference.com, and ranked third with 39 home runs and 334 total bases, and fourth with a.539 OPS and.939 OPS. He also batted.292 and drove in 102 runs. Bryant's statistics in any of those categories reflected advancements over his rookie season averages. With 154 strikeouts, he ranked 9th in the NL with 154 strikeouts.

The Cubs earned their first National League Central Division title. In all four games against the San Francisco Giants in the 2016 NLDS, Bryant had hits. Bryant hit a two-run home run against Sergio Romo in Game 3's ninth inning, bringing the game to extra innings, but the Giants will prevail in 13. As the Cubs advanced to the 2016 NLCS, Bryant singled out for a four-run rally in Game 4 with the Cubs down 5–2. For the first time since 1945, the Cubs secured the National League pennant by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-games-to-two. The Cubs came back from a 3-game deficit to a -1 victory over the Cleveland Indians to win their first championship after a 108-year drought. Bryant had a.308 average in the 2016 postseason, with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Bryant ended the 2016 season by winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in his second year in the major leagues. He was the first player to win a Golden Spikes Award, a Rookie of the Year Award, and the Most Valuable Player Award in successive seasons. In addition,, he became the sixth player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first two seasons, joining Fred Lynn (1982–83), Ryan Howard (1999–06), and Dustin Pedroia (2007–08). Bryant also received the Hank Aaron Award as the National League's Most Outstanding hitter.

Bryant and the Los Angeles Angels have signed a $1.05 million contract before the 2017 season, a new high for a pre-arbitration player who was previously unemployed by Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, who earned $1 million in 2014.

Bryant came in second in fan voting to Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies as the starting NL third baseman in the 2017 All-Star Game. He came in second in the All-Star Final Vote, behind Justin Turner, and did not make the All-Star squad. Bryant was suspended for the first time in his major league career after arguing for his third strike call following the All Star Breakout on July 25, according to him. For the first time, Players Weekend in August, MLB, and the MLBPA welcomed players to the United States. Bryant chose "KB" for his shirt. The Cubs won their second straight Central Division title, with a.295 average, 29 home runs, and 73 RBIs in the regular season, their third straight appearance in the playoffs. In the 2017 NLDS, the Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals, with Bryant batting.200 in the series without a home run. In the 2017 NLCS, the Cubs lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the NLCS, Bryant batted.200 with just one home run.

Bryant and the Cubs decided to a $10.85 million salary for the 2018 season, breaking the record for a player in his first year of salary arbitration, which was previously negotiated by Ryan Howard when he signed a $10 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Bryant was ranked as the third best player in baseball in February by Sports Illustrated, trailing Mike Trout and José Altuve. Bryant scored his 100th home run against the Miami Marlins in May 9, his 22nd Cubs player to reach the record and the fastest to reach the milestone. In his 487th game, he made his 100th home run, barely surpassing the previous record of 500 games set by Ernie Banks. Bryant was admitted to the disabled list for the first time in his MLB career due to left shoulder inflammation, which was retroactive three days before. Bryant went back to the disabled list on July 26 due to inflammatory inflammation on the same shoulder.

Bryant's 2019 offseason was off to a rocky start. After hitting a home run in his first regular season game against the Texas Rangers, his batting average through April 25 was.232, with a.730 on-base plus slugging percentage. Bryant's results have markedly improved as a result of mid-May. Over the course of fifteen games, including a walk-off, three-run home run against the Miami Marlins on May 7, he scored seven home runs, including a walk-off, three-run home run against the Miami Marlins. In a game against the Washington Nationals on May 18, Bryant hit three home runs in three innings in a three-inning row. His 4-for-6 night extended his game streak to 26 games.

Bryant's season ended with 31 home runs, 77 runs batted in, and 108 runs scored. He had the lowest fielding percentage of all major league third basemen (.997) on defense.

Bryant batted.206/.351 in 131 at-bats in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season.

Bryant in the 2021 season for the Cubs played first base (12 games) and outfield (63 games), as well as third (29 games), due to Patrick Wisdom's rise at third base. He was selected as an All-Star with 58 runs, 18 home runs, and 51 RBIs in 93 games and 326 at bats with the Cubs.

The Cubs gave Bryant to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for prospect Alexander Canario and Caleb Kilian, who were not available on July 30, 2021. Bryant made his Giants debut on August 1, 2017. In the third inning, he was in third base and went 1-for-4 with a home run.

Bryant batted.262/.444 with 28 runs, seven home runs, and 22 RBIs in 187 at bats in 2021, his first appearance in the 2021 season. He played 26 games at third base, 19 games in left field, 11 games in right field, 11 games in left field, and 5 games in center field.

Bryant had agreed to a seven-year deal with the Colorado Rockies worth $182 million on March 18, 2022. He had been confirmed that he would be the team's starting left fielder. Bryant missed the last two months of the 2022 season due to plantar fasciitis and a bone bruise in his right foot.

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