MLB All-Star Game: The case for each NL Final Vote candidate

Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

You’d think a player who won the NL Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in his first two big league seasons would be a shoo-in for the All-Star team, but like the Cubs as a whole, Kris Bryant hasn’t quite looked himself in the first half of 2017. He’s still putting up good numbers, though, and is worthy of consideration for the final roster spot.

Bryant is slashing .263/.391/.511 with 16 home runs and 32 RBI in 76 games. While that’s certainly respectable, it’s well below the pace he set last year, when he hit .292/.385/.554 with 39 homers and 102 RBI. The power is still there for the most part, but Bryant has been unable to drive in nearly as many runs in a Cubs lineup that has underachieved to this point.

There are still improvements to be found in the young third baseman’s game, however. Bryant is currently posting the highest walk rate (15.7 percent) and lowest strikeout rate (21.6 percent) of his career. If the rest of the Cubs batting order gets going, those good habits should serve him well in the second half.

Though we all know the Cubs have been disappointing this year, it’s still somewhat shocking that closer Wade Davis is their only All-Star representative. If the defending champs want to salvage a bit more pride, their fans can vote to send Bryant to his third consecutive Midsummer Classic.

Official Final Vote Hashtag: #VoteKB

Next: The 10-RBI Man