Chicago Cubs: Three Kris Bryant fun facts you might not know

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant gets a diamond-studded key

In 2015, during his rookie season, Bryant and fellow Las Vegas native and baseball juggernaut Bryce Harper both received a key to the city of Las Vegas from current Mayor Carolyn Goodman. Bryant had won NL Rookie of the Year, and Harper won the MVP title that year.

The keys to the city were exceptional gifts for the players as only three previous keys had ever been given out previously and mostly to entertainers who dedicated their talent and lives to the Vegas strip. In 2014, singer and actress Brittany Spears received one of the diamond-studded keys to the city as well for her contributions to entertaining the strip.

On December 17, 2015, Fremont Street in Las Vegas came alive for two of MLB’s most entertaining baseball players. The city hosted a ceremony honoring the two hometown ballplayers who grew up together and were best of friends. During the celebration and presentation of the keys to the city, the announcement went something like:

"Kris Bryant is the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. He was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year with 26 home runs, a .275 batting average, 99 runs batted in, 87 runs scored and 13 stolen bases."

Last month on March 7, when the Chicago Cubs took on the Cincinnati Reds in Las Vegas for a Big League weekend matchup, according to Matthew Seeman of 3News Las Vegas, Bryant bragged to coaches and teammates, including Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, that Las Vegas was truly his town.” You got to be born and raised here, do something cool,” Bryant tells his key-less teammate, later sharing the same anecdote with his third-base coach.

Poor Happ said on the Chicago Cubs Marquee Sports Network Tweet that he’s lived in a lot of cities, and no one ever gave him a key to their city! If that isn’t classic, I’m not sure what is. Bryant certainly has the right to be proud of his unique award, and of course, it’s even better having a key to the Entertainment Capital of the World. The best Happ could hope for from his hometown of  Pittsburgh is a bridge pass and a ‘Steel’ key.

Bryant’s key to the city of Las Vegas for his rookie year performance remains just another fun fact about the Cubs dynamic third baseman.