Kris Bryant, Infield, Colorado Rockies

Date of Birth: 1/4/1992
Birthplace: Las Vegas, Nevada
College: University of San Diego

Kris Bryant, infielder for the Colorado Rockies, was first drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010 but he opted for college instead. He was a top player at the University of San Diego, winning the Golden Spikes award and the Dick Howser award in 2013 as the top college player in the United States. He was also named the College Baseball News National Player of the Year.

Bryant was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2013. He played in their minor league system in 2013 and 2014. During that time, he had 203 hits, 48 doubles, 52 home runs, 142 RBIs, and 197 strikeouts to 97 walks in 175 games. Defensively, as a third baseman, he made 320 assists, 117 putouts, and 27 errors in 160 games. After the 2014 season, Bryant was named the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year.

Bryant played in 151 games with the Cubs in 2015 and he had a strong rookie season, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award. He hit his first major league home run on May 9th and his first grand slam on June 17th. He followed that on July 4th with a home run and his second grand slam. He finished the season with 154 hits, 31 doubles, 26 home runs, 13 stolen bases, 99 RBIs, and a .275 batting average. As the Cubs' third baseman in 144 games, he made 249 assists, 21 double plays, 81 putouts, and 17 errors.

Bryant followed his award winning rookie year with another outstanding season in 2016. He won the National League MVP award and became only the fourth player in MLB history to win the Rookie of the Year award and the MVP award in back-to-back years (the others were Cal Ripken, Jr., Ryan Howard, and Dustin Pedroia). He finished the 2016 season with a .292 batting average, 176 hits, 35 doubles, 39 home runs, and 102 RBIs in 155 games. Defensively, he played all infield positions except second base and all three outfield positions. In 17 postseason games, he batted .308 with 20 hits, including 5 doubles and 3 home runs, and 8 RBIs in 65 at-bats.

Bryant continued to be an impressive player in 2017, finishing the season with 162 hits, 38 doubles, 29 home runs, 73 RBIs, 128 strikeouts to 95 walks, and a .295 batting average in 151 games. Defensively, as the Cubs' third baseman in 144 games, he made 260 assists, 72 putouts, and 18 errors. In the postseason, he had 8 hits and 3 RBIs in 40 at-bats in 10 games. He hit a home run in Game 5 of the NLCS.

Bryant finished the 2018 season with 106 hits, 28 doubles, 13 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .272 batting average in 102 games. Defensively, he played 4 games at first base, 86 games at third base, 14 games in left field, and 15 games in right field.

Bryant batted .282 in 147 games in 2019. He finished the season with 153 hits, 35 doubles, 31 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 145 strikeouts to 74 walks. Defensively, as a third baseman in 115 games, he made 186 assists, 48 putouts, and 13 errors. He also played 3 games at first base, 23 games in left field, and 27 games in right field.

Bryant played in 34 games in 2020. He finished the season with 27 hits, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 11 RBIs, 40 strikeouts to 12 walks, and a .206 batting average. Defensively, he played 1 games at first base and 27 games at third base. In the postseason, he had no hits in 8 at-bats in 2 games.

The Cubs traded Bryant to the San Francisco Giants on July 30, 2021. He finished the 2021 season with 136 hits, 32 doubles, 25 home runs, 73 RBIs, 135 strikeouts to 62 walks, and a .265 batting average in 93 games with the Cubs and 51 games with the Giants. In the postseason, he had 8 hits and 2 RBIs in 17 at-bats in 5 games.

Bryant became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He signed with the Rockies on March 18, 2022.

Career batting statistics for Bryant through 2021 include:

• 884 games played
• 914 hits
• 204 doubles
• 167 home runs
• 487 RBIs
• 908 strikeouts to 443 walks
• .278 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Bryant at third base through 2021 include:

• 678 games played
• 1,160 assists
• 106 double plays
• 356 putouts
• 80 errors
• .950 fielding percentage

Personal Life

Bryant's father played minor league baseball for the Boston Red Sox.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Kris Bryant
ESPN - Kris Bryant
Baseball Reference - Kris Bryant