Former Cubs star Kris Bryant opens up about receiving death threats from fans

The shine has worn off Kris Bryant, whose MLB career peaked almost immediately, winning National League Rookie of the Year in 2015 and following it up with NL MVP and a World Series championship with the Chicago Cubs the very next season.

Entering year three of a seven-year, $182 million deal with the Colorado Rockies, Bryant continues to struggle, batting just .120/.267/.240 entering action Sunday. That's frustrating not only to Bryant but fans, as well. However, some have crossed the line, with the 32-year-old infielder telling reporters this weekend he's received death threats online.

Cubs fan favorite Kris Bryant continues to struggle as he receives death threats from fans

It's disgusting that Bryant is going through this, regardless of how poorly he's performed since joining the Rockies. He turned heads this spring, seeming to have some very real second thoughts about signing with Colorado and hearing this, it's not hard to see why.

Let's be clear though. This sort of behavior isn't unique to the Rockies fanbase. Late in Bryant's Cubs career, he was relentlessly raked over the coals by Cubs fans and, as is so often the case, you saw some folks' worst sides on social media. Too often, fans seem to forget that these players are, first and foremost, fellow human beings - and boil them down to numbers on the back of a baseball card or a Statcast breakdown.

Bryant doesn't deserve this. It's heartbreaking to see his fall, especially considering we all had visions of a statue of him outside Wrigley Field on the heels of that 2016 campaign. Hopefully, he can find a way to return to form but, man, it can't be easy focusing on things like swing mechanics and the like when you're dealing with this stuff off the field.