Chicago Cubs: Ranking the top 5 moments of Kris Bryant’s career

Looking back at Kris Bryant and his amazing run with the Chicago Cubs, there are so many moments you could choose for a list detailing his top moments. With walk-off home runs, amazing plays at third base and clutch knocks in key spots, it’s insanely difficult to narrow it down to just five top moments.

For somebody who meant so much to the organization and the fan base, it was heartbreaking to see Bryant get traded at the deadline. With the Cubs going in a different direction, there are more than a few fans still desperately clinging to the long-shot hope that somehow, the former NL MVP finds his way home in free agency this winter.

Bryant has stated numerous times that he wanted to be a Cub for life and loves the city of Chicago, going as far as saying the city will always be home to him. Upon returning for the first time in a different uniform, Bryant was met with an emotional tribute video, on top of a class act by Kyle Hendricks and Willson Contreras, stepping off the mound and coming out from behind the plate the first time Bryant came up to bat, culminating in a standing ovation from a packed Wrigley Field crowd.

Whether it’s graduation goggles or simply the fact it took losing Bryant to realize what we had, fans have been very vocal in their love and support of him. To say the least, it’s unfortunate ownership and the front office have decided to part ways with KB. But, at the end of the day, he’s no longer a Cub – and there’s nothing we can do about that right now.

Fans may not get to see him hit in a Cubs uniform anymore, but they will always have the memories. As a token of gratitude and tribute to the former Cubs All-Star third baseman, let’s take a look at Bryant’s top five moments throughout his career  in Chicago.

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Kris Bryant Moments – #5: Called up to the Show

On April 17, 2015, a star was born. Kris Bryant was called up by the Chicago Cubs in what turned into being one of the best decisions they ever made. A heated debate over potential service time manipulation was overshadowed, at least briefly, with the news of his promotion – which was preceded by a billboard in Wrigleyville anticipating his arrival.

Prior to being drafted by Chicago, Bryant spent three years between Chatham College and the University of San Diego as a Torero. In his collegiate career, he raked to the tune of a .353/.486/.702 line with 54 home runs and 154 batted across 172 total games played.

Once in the Cubs’ minor league system, Bryant continued to tear it up with an otherworldly slash line of .325/.424/.661 with 56 home runs and 156 driven in a total of 187 games. There was never any doubt about what type of player they had on their hands as he worked his way through the ranks. This guy was clearly the real deal.

By the time Bryant was finally called up, the hype had reached an all-time peak and he did not disappoint. Although his debut was forgettable, with a trio of punchouts, his rookie campaign was unforgettable. The former first-rounder torched opposing pitching en route to National League Rookie of the Year honors. It’s safe to say no one will ever forget his arrival to the bigs and everything that followed.

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Kris Bryant Moments – #4: The Cincinnati Game

Stat-wise, Kris Bryant’s best single-game performance had to be on June 27, 2016 when he went 5-for-5 with three home runs and a pair of doubles. Tallying an incredible 16 total bases in one game, the Cubs went on to win 11-8. This game, in particular, will always be one of the most memorable moments during the 2016 regular season – and one that cemented Bryant’s place as an MVP frontrunner.

The Cubs, still sour from being booted from their surprise NLCS run the year prior, needed a leader. Someone who was poised with hunger and gets the heads to turn every time he stepped to the plate. Though Bryant had already proved what he could do on a baseball field, this performance put him in a different category altogether.  Let’s take a look back on that crazy night in Cincinnati when Bryant showed exactly what he was capable of.

As the video above notes, Bryant became the first player since 1913 with three home runs and two doubles in a game. Bryant drove in a half-dozen runs in the process, improving his line at the time to .278/.367/.567. His historic game proved that his monster campaign from 2015 was no fluke and he was here to stay.

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Kris Bryant Moments – #2: Winning 2016 NL MVP

If the Cubs were fazed by the drubbing at the hands of the Mets in the 2015 NLCS, you’d never know it based on how they started the 2016 campaign.

After a 21-6 start in April, Chicago became an early World Series favorite – and maintained that status as the months rolled on. Backed by a dominant pitching staff, the Cubs carved through teams at a torrid pace. However, the pitching wasn’t the only thing that turned heads on that 2016 club. They also hard a budding superstar on their hands.

During Bryant’s 2016 campaign, he saw 49 more plate appearances than he did the year prior and managed to cut down his strikeout total, as well. Impressively, he ground into only three double plays all year and really began to excel in hitting for power, smacking a total of 77 extra-base hits on the year. Not only that, his ISO against left-handed pitched increased to .327, up from .206 the year before. Bryant was getting stronger and hitting the ball with even more authority.

For the year, the Cubs wound up going 103-59 and Bryant took home National League MVP honors the year after winning Rookie of the Year. He slashed .292/.385/.554 with 39 home runs and 102 RBI. Chicago now no doubt had a superstar on their hands and there wasn’t anybody in baseball who didn’t know his name. Winning MVP might have been his personal high point – but there’s no doubt it was – and is still today – overshadowed by what he helped the Cubs do, as a team.

Chicago Cubs: Top 5 Kris Bryant Moments – #1: Breaking the Curse

November 2, 2016. A date which will live in the minds of Cubs fans across the globe as long as they live. They did it. They finally won it all. Facing the Cleveland Indians, Game 7 was played in Cleveland after Chicago rallied back from a 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series. With everything on the line, it took a team effort to bring home the coveted World Series title.

In that game, Joe Maddon’s team received key contributions from Dexter Fowler who led off the game with a homer, along with dingers from Javier Baez and David Ross – who was playing the final game of his career. After a 17-minute rain delay, Ben Zobrist stepped to the plate with Albert Almora on second base and Anthony Rizzo on first.

The veteran jack-of-all-trades shot a tenth-inning ground ball the opposite way down the line past a diving third baseman, scoring Almora and giving the Cubs the lead in the process. Miguel Montero then stepped up, knocking in what would become the game-winning run.

Everybody’s hearts sank when the Indians scored a run to pull back within one in the bottom of the tenth. But then, Mike Montgomery came in out of the pen with the club’s drought-ending aspirations in his hands. The rest, as they say, is history.

The left-hander induced a soft ground ball to third, and how fitting that the soon-to-be NL MVP himself, Bryant, charged in and made the play, firing to first baseman Anthony Rizzo to end the 108 years of waiting. With that play, Bryant, Rizzo and the Cubs did what generations of players had failed to do: bring a championship to the North Side of Chicago.

For all of us, that moment that will never get old. On this night, with all the circumstances of being down 3-1 in the series, rallying back, Cubs fans were given one of the greatest joys a fanbase could ever feel. For Bryant, it was the ultimate way to cap off an already historic season.