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Kris Bryant Earning Opening Day Start

The biggest story coming into Cubs Spring Training was that of Kris Bryant. Will he be starting third base for the Cubs on Opening Night of the 2015 season? Or will he spend the first three weeks of April in the minors? These are the only two options for Bryant, who has been the talk of the league, touted as being the next up and coming superstar. Last season, Bryant hit a minor league leading 43 HRs between both Double-A and Triple-A ball all while having a solid .325 BA. This spring, Bryant has seemed to continue where he left off last season as he attempts to give the Cubs no choice but to let him start April 5 vs. the Cardinals.

Bryant has been tearing apart major league pitching thus far in Spring Training. In nine games this spring, Bryant has hit 6 HRs and 9 RBIs with a .450 BA. These sort of numbers are putting the Cubs in a really tough spot. It seems only inevitable that Bryant would be in the Cubs Opening Night lineup, yet there are other factors at play. If Bryant produces these monster numbers in the majors, which is turning out to be highly likely, nobody could blame the Cubs front office for wanting to have control over Bryant’s contract for as long as possible.

Bryant needs to play six seasons in the majors to qualify for free agency. If Bryant were to start Opening Night the Cubs would be guaranteed to have Bryant until 2020. Here’s the dilemma: if the Cubs were to have Bryant in Triple-A for the first three weeks of the season they would extend their time with Bryant until the end of the 2021 season. For the Cubs front office this is appealing for a few reasons. First off, in six years it is expected that Bryant would produce incredible numbers which would allow him to sign a lucrative contract with one of the many teams that would quickly jump on the Bryant bandwagon. Another big reason has to do with Bryant’s agent, Scott Boras. An agent for many big name players in the league, Boras is known for allowing and encouraging his players to test the free agent market. It is no wonder the Cubs would consider holding off on Bryant at the start of the season.

Though this consideration could in fact be counterintuitive for the Cubs. The last thing the organization would want is to hold back a player that is clearly MLB ready. By doing this the Cubs may create some tension between the organization, Bryant and Boras. Bryant is without a doubt considered an upstanding ballplayer, yet the Cubs would not want to do anything that could possibly put any rift in what they hope to be a long, thriving relationship with Bryant. Most importantly, the Cubs are here to win and win now. Made clear by Epstein, Maddon and numerous players who have a yearning to win games in 2015, the Cubs have the tools to compete in 2015. A team looking to compete simply cannot leave Bryant in the minors, even if only for three weeks.

The Cubs are looking to win a division. They finally have a solid pitching rotation, a promising bullpen with young talent and veteran presence, batters who can hit for power and average, and the final piece: Kris Bryant, the next baseball phenom. Whether the Cubs guarantee control of Bryant until 2020 or 2021, there is no reason the Cubs should not appear in the playoffs multiple times within the six years of having Bryant at third base.

This spring Kris Bryant has impressed the Cubs front office, coaches and his fellow players. A young player of raw talent, character and charisma, the Bryant era for the Chicago Cubs should very well begin April 5, 2015 as he has certainly earned his Wrigley Field introduction as the Cubs starting third baseman.

Author: Anthony Schullo

Chicago Cubs Writer/Analyst for The Runner Sports. Following the Cubs as one of their biggest fans and perhaps their harshest critic while also being a big fan of the Chicago Bears and Chicago Blackhawks. Also currently working towards my MA in Sports Leadership at North Central College.

Follow me on Twitter: @AMSchullo
Reach out via email: [email protected]

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