Chicago Cubs: Quit with the Kris Bryant pessimism, Cubs fans

Despite winning the National League MVP just two years ago, Kris Bryant has drawn the ire of Chicago Cubs fans after an injury-riddled 2018 season.

A recurring shoulder injury forced Kris Bryant to miss 51 games over the course of two separate DL stints (amidst a litany of other small injuries). Though he returned to the Chicago Cubs lineup in September, he was merely a shell of the hitter fans watched the last three years.

Bryant hit just two home runs in September, en route to a .776 OPS in the month, both paltry statistics for a slugger of his caliber. He also struggled to keep up with fastballs up in the zone, striking out in 33 percent of his plate appearances in the final month. That trend carried into the postseason, as Bryant went down via the strikeout three times in the NL Wild Card game.

Injuries, frustrations and the emergence of David Bote have fans calling for Bryant to hit the trading block. In reality, this could not be a more irrational sentiment.