You just knew Cubs' ultra prospect Kris Bryant was going to choke the chicken in his MLB debut Friday at Wrigley Field (didn't you?) If you didn't know that, then you haven't been a Cub fan for very long.
The stage was set. First there was Bryant's repellent greed-head agent Scott Boras popping off in spring training that the Cubs were not dedicated to winning if they sent his prize client to AAA Iowa to start the season (so the Cubs would have an extra year of Bryant before he can become a free agent.) It's agents like the money-grubbing Boras that forces teams to send players down in these type situations.
Then there was the extremely ill-advised billboard that Bryant's sponsor Addias set up right across the street from Wrigley (when it was announced that Bryant would start 2015 at Iowa.) You gotta believe Boras was in on that cheap stunt at some level.
Bryant started his MLB career Friday afternoon by being humiliated by San Diego pitcher James Shields. Shields carved Bryant up like a turkey on Thanksgiving. All the while, we had to endure shots of Bryant's father and Scott Boras in the crowd (Boras trying to look California cool in his dark shades but looking like an utter fool.)
To be fair, Bryant made a couple of outstanding plays at third. But at the plate, he looked like the second coming of Javier Baez. Meanwhile, the much less celebrated Cub prospect Jorge Soler continues to show that HE is the team's best prospect by far!
By all accounts, Kris Bryant is supposed to be a classy kid but aligning himself with the hated Boras, he is going to bring heat down upon himself (remember what happened to Boras client JD Drew all those years ago in Philadelphia?)
It's very possible that Bryant will live up to the hype. But his opening day performance was a total flop and made him look like a punk for agreeing to that hideous billboard across the street from Wrigley.) Should Bryant continue to struggle things will get REAL UGLY, REAL FAST (Jon Lester is already hearing boos!)
Was Kris Bryant WORTH THE WAIT? We will all find out soon!
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