Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant reached 10 home runs and 42 RBI for the season with a big night against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, becoming the first player in franchise history to record 10 or more homers and 40 or more RBI before the All-Star break in his debut season, per MLB Stat of the Day.
Entering Monday’s game with eight homers and 39 RBI, the former No. 2 overall draft pick (2013) was not intimidated by a highly difficult matchup against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
After striking out in his first at-bat, Bryant hit a two-run homer in the third inning off the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead.
Following a walk in his third plate appearance, Bryant hit a solo shot off Dodgers reliever Adam Liberatore in the eighth inning, extending the lead to 4-1.
The 23-year-old has yet to miss a game since making his big league debut Apr. 17, and he’s already proved more than capable of hitting major league pitching.
Bryant owns a robust .282/.384/.485 batting line through 60 games, with 40 runs, 35 walks and five stolen bases to go along with the 10 homers and 42 RBI.
With his defense also grading out as solid by both advanced and traditional metrics, Bryant ranks 19th among all position players at 2.7 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs’ measurement of the statistic.
What’s more, each of the 18 players ahead of Bryant has played more than 60 games. If not for the dominant seasons being put together by Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, it’s possible Bryant would be a part of the National League MVP discussion.
Instead, he’ll likely have to duke things out with Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson in the race for NL Rookie of the Year.
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