Looking back at the last 10 years of Cubs spring training standouts

By Dan O'Keefe | Mar 23, 2022

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 17: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs in action against the New York Mets during game one of the 2015 MLB National League Championship Series at Citi Field on October 17, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Cubs 4-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs spring training MVPs of years past: 2015 – Kris Bryant

Finally, the future his here. After years of miring in somehow not last place (thanks Astros!), the first of the whiz kids the Cubs placed their hopes on made his name known in a hurry come spring. Bryant had a blistering spring training performance, knocking in nine home runs to go with a .425 average. In one game against Cleveland, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Bryant all hit consecutive homers. Only two years after being picked second overall in the MLB Draft, Bryant looked ready to go.

Did he sustain it?

In order to game the system and gain an added year of control, the Cubs kept Bryant in the minor leagues for the first few weeks of the 2015 season. When they did call him up (after he somehow “improved his defense” in three short weeks), Bryant somehow lived up to the hype.

He hit .275 with 26 home runs, including one 495-foot moon shot off the then-new video board. Following the Cubs’ loss in the NLCS to the Mets, Bryant was named the unanimous National League Rookie of the Year award winner. The very next season, he earned NL MVP honors and helped the Cubs erase a 108-year championship drought.

Good thing they kept him in Iowa those three weeks, right?