Kris Bryant strengthens Rookie of the Year candidacy with walk-off blast
In what should come as no surprise to astute fans who follow the game, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is making a strong push for the Rookie of the Year award. Bryant was baseball’s latest uber-prospect back in March, and his callup was debated by national media, fans and in the local Chicago bars.
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Bryant strenghened his case for the award Monday against the Cleveland Indians. After Cleveland mounted a comeback in the ninth inning, Bryant had a chance to play the hero in the bottom of the frame. He would deliver.
On the first pitch he saw from reliever Zach McAllister, Bryant smashed an 80 mph curve out to right for the walk-off shot. It was his second walk-off blast this season and 20th home run of the year.
Bryant was escorted home by reliever Pedro Strop, who decided to high-step with the rookie as he ran toward the plate.
The play also earned Bryant some high praise from Cubs pitcher Jon Lester.
Overall, Bryant’s numbers are impressive. The 23-year-old is hitting .262/.366/.481 over 492 plate appearances.
Whether he’s the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award depends on what metric you believe. Bryant currently leads the field according to FanGraphs’ WAR, but it’s close. Bryant clocks in at 4.6 on the season, while Matt Duffy is second with 3.9 fWAR. Pirates infielder Jung-Ho Kang is third on that list at 3.4 fWAR. Randal Grichuk has actually passed Joc Pederson, but both deserve mentions here.
According to Baseball-Reference’s WAR calculation, which is slightly different, Bryant is third, behind both Duffy and Kang. Again, it’s close. Duffy leads the way at 4.3, while Kang is at 3.9. Bryant clocks in at 3.5 bWAR.
All three teams are currently in the hunt for the playoffs, so that probably won’t influence the voters when it’s time to make the decision. Both Kang and Duffy have hit for much higher averages, and that could play a role for voters. Bryant, like many players, has proven batting average isn’t everything, but he might not have a big enough lead in on-base percentage or slugging percentage to justify a batting average that’s thirty points lower than the other candidates in the voters’ minds.
That doesn’t really matter right now, though. The Cubs are humming along, fighting for a playoff spot, and Bryant has been a big part of that. And while there are still some flaws in his game, it’s clear that he’s going to be an exceptional major-league player moving forward.
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While winning the Rookie of the Year award would be nice, taking the Cubs to the playoffs, and eventually to the promised land would be the preferred option. As Bryant showed Monday, he’s more than capable of leading that charge.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
