Chicago Cubs: Projections for ideal bounceback seasons by key players

Chicago Cubs: The lowest point of Kris Bryant’s career came in 2020

It was really tough to watch Kris Bryant have trouble catching up to even low-90s fastballs in 2020. Whether it was mental or physical, it was a season to forget for the former National League MVP. He hit .206/.293/.351 with four home runs, 11 RBI, .644 OPS, 77 wRC+, 27.2 percent strikeout rate and was a 0.5 fWAR player. Every number on that slash line was a career-low, as was his OPS, wRC+, home run total and fWAR.

There is growing frustration among fans regarding the recent production of Bryant. While he has not been back to his 2016 NL MVP level, but he has still had some dang good seasons between 16′ and 2020. He slashed .282/.382/.521 with 31 homers, .903 OPS and 135 wRC+ in 147 games in 2019; he was an All-Star that year.

Bryant has dealt with nagging injuries over the past few seasons and it could have taken a toll on him in 2020. As of right now he is coming up on a contract year and that could be extra motivation for him to bounce back in 2021.

In the end a healthy Kris Bryant is normally a very good Kris Bryant. Expecting him to put up his typical numbers should not be unreasonable at this point in his career.

Ideal numbers:

.285/.380/.525 – 30 HR, .905 OPS, 138 wRC+, 10.5% BB rate