Chicago Cubs: MLB Network says Kris Bryant isn’t a Top 10 third baseman

Chicago Cubs: An interesting mix of names in the Top 10

There are some names on MLB Network’s list that make sense. Others? Not so much.

Let’s start with the back end of the rankings, numbers six through 10. Rounding out the list? San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, who put up a .796 OPS last season for the Friars. I know it’s a simplistic measure, but Bryant thoroughly outpaced that performance, despite playing through some nagging injuries.

Cleveland standout Jose Ramirez clocks in at nine, behind the likes of Eugenio Suarez, Justin Turner and Josh Donaldson. So with that list of names in mind, let’s dig in a bit deeper.

According to Fangraphs, Bryant ranked higher than all of these guys in WAR last season – with the lone exception of Donaldson, who narrowly edged him by 0.1 WAR (4.9 to 4.8). Again, that’s boiling things down to one number – but it’s hard to imagine a world where Bryant isn’t more valuable than at a bare minimum, three of these guys.

In terms of wRC+, Bryant outperformed all five of these guys. Now is he an elite defender? Not at all. But he does enough to get the job done and if you’re looking at his whole body of work, there’s absolutely no doubt he’s a more valuable player than everyone I just mentioned. Sure, Donaldson had a great year in Atlanta – but he’s battled injuries, is heading into his mid-30s and lacks the versatility of a guy like Bryant.

Chicago Cubs: A marred name headlines this year’s rankings

Given everything we’ve heard about the Houston Astros this offseason, it’s hard to not view someone like Alex Bregman through a very different lens than we may have prior to the league’s investigation into the team’s sign-stealing scandal.

Bregman’s initial comments after everything went public were less than savory, which does him no favors in my eyes personally. But The Shredder doesn’t care about any of that. It cares about production and, regardless of how he did it, Bregman turned in another stellar season – netting him the honors of top third baseman in baseball.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

He’s followed by the likes of Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, who led the Washington Nationals to a World Series title in 2019, Nolan Arenado, who has seen his own name in plenty of rumors this winter, Matt Chapman – a premier defensive presence at the hot corner and Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets.

Now, here. I can admit that from a statistical standpoint, I can see Bryant being ranked behind Bregman, Rendon and Arenado – maybe even Chapman. Maybe. But there’s no way he should be lower than fourth on this list.

Why? Because McNeil didn’t even play the majority of his games at third base last season. He appeared in just 24 contests there in 2019 – as opposed to 61 games in left, 39 in right and 34 at second. He played in more games at three other positions last year and his inclusion on this list is a farce.

That’s not to take away from the year he had because McNeil was really good – and I’ve long sought him as a trade target for the Cubs as a sort of heir to Ben Zobrist at a super utility guy. He carried a .916 OPS last season, including a .384 on-base percentage. Given the Cubs’ leadoff woes, he’d check a lot of boxes – but that’s a discussion for another time. He doesn’t deserve a spot on this list, let alone the number four overall ranking.

Chicago Cubs: Bryant has a lot riding on the upcoming season

Kris Bryant knows that he’s far from the icon he was just a few short years ago. On the heels of winning Rookie of the Year and MVP while leading the Cubs to their first World Series in over a century, he was an icon – destined be enshrined with a flag of his own on a foul pole at Wrigley Field someday.

But after a lackluster, injury-plagued 2018 campaign and declining RBI totals since that illustrious 2016 season, he’s no longer viewed in the same light. Now let’s be clear. Evaluating a player’s offensive contributions using statistics like RBI is an antiquated way of thinking that we can all hope will soon die. That hasn’t stopped folks, though, from throwing around ‘overrated’ an awful lot when talking about Bryant.

He’s spent the majority of his at-bats in the number two hole in recent years. Why isn’t he driving in more runs? Well, probably because the Cubs have lacked a true leadoff hitter since, you guessed it – 2016.

Meanwhile, he’s averaged a .390 OBP over the last three years. He plays corner outfield spots when he’s not at third and when he’s been healthy, he’s one of the top run-scorers in the league. Would you like to see him putting up those stereotypical baseball numbers? Sure. But he’s done a lot of things right and the national media and Cubs fans alike aren’t seeing that.

This is a huge season for Bryant. He’s just two years removed from free agency and Chicago needs to either A) see him raise his value as a trade chip or B) build a lineup around him worthy of competing for a division crown. Either way, everyone’s doubting him right now – and he’s got a chance to silence his critics in a big way this year.