image courtesy of ESPN
From the beginning of his tenure as the General Manager of the Chicago Cubs, Theo Epstein worked through the theory of "building the offense through the draft". In the rebuilding of a franchise, Kris Bryant is the foundation.
The unanimous 2014 minor league player of the year (.325 batting average, 43 home runs, 110 RBI's), in which he became only the second player in history to receive that honor after previously winning the college baseball player of the year award.
In 181 career minor league games, Bryant ended with a .327 batting average, 55 home runs, and 152 RBI's. Now, the high batting average may not carry over to the Major Leagues but the power is legit.
image courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times
Bryant is presented the 2014 Minor League Player of the Year award.
He possesses power that is not only game changing but can also turn a franchise around. He brings an extra fear factor to a line-up already chalk full of budding stars.
Adding Bryant to a line-up that already consists of Dexter Fowler, Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and fellow rookie Jorge Soler, brings the Cubs offense full circle. Bryant won't need to come in and be a team leader right away as we currently have Anthony Rizzo fulfilling that role. All Bryant needs to do is shake off the nerves of the big leagues, and see himself as not needing to do too much. In time, once the nerves are pushed aside, he will become an excellent compliment to this young line-up for years to come.
As fans we must always keep in mind that yes, this is the same Cub's organization that has not won a World Series since 1908 and anything can happen. This is not the same organization we have come to see in the past. If Theo Epstein's tenure in Boston proved anything, it's that he knows how to build a team the correct way.
Nothing is ever guaranteed. Especially for the Cubs, but when taking into consideration Theo's past success, you can't help but be excited.
Get ready Chicago, we are officially blasting off into the coming summer. In the end, with Bryant's addition, if this group of players can all play up to or close to their potential, this organization may not be called the "lovable losers" for much longer.
Adding Bryant to a line-up that already consists of Dexter Fowler, Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and fellow rookie Jorge Soler, brings the Cubs offense full circle. Bryant won't need to come in and be a team leader right away as we currently have Anthony Rizzo fulfilling that role. All Bryant needs to do is shake off the nerves of the big leagues, and see himself as not needing to do too much. In time, once the nerves are pushed aside, he will become an excellent compliment to this young line-up for years to come.
As fans we must always keep in mind that yes, this is the same Cub's organization that has not won a World Series since 1908 and anything can happen. This is not the same organization we have come to see in the past. If Theo Epstein's tenure in Boston proved anything, it's that he knows how to build a team the correct way.
Nothing is ever guaranteed. Especially for the Cubs, but when taking into consideration Theo's past success, you can't help but be excited.
Get ready Chicago, we are officially blasting off into the coming summer. In the end, with Bryant's addition, if this group of players can all play up to or close to their potential, this organization may not be called the "lovable losers" for much longer.
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