Chicago Cubs: Young Core Is Really Good

Jun 18, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) and left fielder Kris Bryant (17) celebrate recording the final out of the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Chicago won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 18, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Kris Bryant (17) is congratulated for hitting a home run by first baseman /

Kris Bryant, the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year, has only elevated his play during the 2016 campaign. Going into play on Monday he’s cut down his strike out totals from 30.6 percent to 22.6 percent while his walk totals have only moved from 11.8 percent to 10.1 percent. His OPS of .898 is also higher than last year’s pace. Bryant has been extremely consistent at the plate and continues to advance his approach.

Where Bryant’s value is increased is in his ability to play slightly above average defense at 3B while also performing at league average in LF. If need be, Bryant can also play RF and even 1B. Joe Maddon has shown enough faith in the young slugger to even spot him in CF at times. His versatility in the field and his production at the plate gives Maddon a lot of options when making his lineup.

If he keeps up his current production Bryant will finish the 2016 season with over 35 home runs and 100+ RBIs in what would put him in the conversation for National League MVP. There isn’t a lot of pressure on Bryant due in part to the depth of the quality of the Cubs lineup, where a number of bats could carry the team during any given game.

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