The ghost of Kris Bryant haunts the Colorado Rockies.
There have been only fleeting visions of the star player the franchise thought it signed back in 2022.
Reoccurring injuries bedevil the four-time All-Star. Sub-par performance has become the norm. There are those within the organization who call him an enigma.
Rockies fans, generally a benevolent bunch, even booed Bryant during the home opener at Coors Field.
Now, with the Rockies floundering at the bottom of the NL West, he’s attempting to return from an early season injury that landed him on the injured list for the sixth time in his two-plus seasons in Colorado. The lofty expectations owner Dick Monfort envisioned when he engineered a seven-year, $182 million deal to bring Bryant to LoDo have vanished.
And the 32-year-old Bryant, who insists he can resurrect his career, cannot hide his frustration.
“It’s hard to put into words. It’s through the roof,” Bryant said. “Some days, I just sit in bed and stare at the ceiling with the frustration. It’s hard.”
Shifting expectations
As the injuries have mounted and production waned, it’s become clear Bryant is no longer the centerpiece of Colorado’s rebuild.
Near the end of the 2022 season, when Bryant was limited to 42 games, general manager Bill Schmidt said he thought Bryant would be “an aircraft carrier” for the lineup. Recently, however, Schmidt’s tone has shifted, saying he never expected Bryant to be the team’s signature leader when the club signed him to the mega-deal.
“From Day 1, I told him, ‘You don’t have to be the guy, just be one of the guys,” Schmidt said. “We need him because of his veteran presence. He’s been through it.”
Yet, as the Rockies’ slide continues, Bryant has become a lightning rod for fans’ discontent. After losing a franchise-record 103 games last season, the Rockies are on pace to be even worse this season.
Teammates, however, stand up for the veteran.
“It’s tough for Kris, and it sucks to hear fans here boo him,” said left fielder Nolan Jones, who looks to Bryant as a mentor. “We see all of the hard work he puts in and everything he does for this team.
“By no means is (the booing) right. Obviously, he wants to be on the field more than anyone. I think that’s something where we need to lift him up as a team and as a city. Putting him down does nothing good for us.”
Until Bryant produces, however, skeptics will remain.
Bryant has begun working his way back from his latest back injury. On Friday, he took batting practice and infield practice. Those are big steps toward his return to the lineup, but there is no definitive timetable.
As Bryant heals up, he wants fans to know three crucial things. First, he has the necessary spirit to revitalize his career. Second, his talent hasn’t vanished. Third, he’s learning to filter negative noise.
And there’s been a lot of noise, not just from the fans in LoDo. Baseball pundits say the Rockies made a huge mistake by signing him to the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history. The criticism is backed up by the fact that the outfielder-turned-first baseman has played in only 37% of the Rockies’ games since then, and his numbers have dropped dramatically.
To which the 32-year-old Bryant responds: “Everybody’s got opinions. I have my own opinions. Fans have opinions, and they’re totally valid. But if I put energy into that, then I’m just giving it more power than it needs. I just try to focus on what I’m doing and getting better.
“And if I get better and things feel good, then good. If things don’t go as well as I want them to, then it is what it is. I’m doing everything I can. Having a good attitude is a good start.”
‘All-in’
Bryant’s numbers tell hard truths.
Before he went on the 10-day injured list on April 14 with an aching back, he was hitting just .149 with one home run in 13 games. Last season, when he played in 80 games, his .233/.313/.367 slash line was the worst of his career.
Still, Monfort continues to back his decision to sign Bryant.
“I believe Kris is all-in,” Monfort told The Post in late March. “He has always been very positive. If you take the first year, what was going on coming out of COVID, signing late, a shorter spring training, he really had to be the guy, and he hustled to do it. It led to other things. Last year it was sort of weird injuries. Kris has played a lot of games. The talent is there.”
Bryant insists his skills will help the Rockies eventually climb out of the National League basement and become competitive.
“I know (my talent) is still in there,” said Bryant, who has four years and $108 million left on his contract after this season. “There are flashes of it, and I can’t wait to get out there and play again.”
When that happens, it remains to be seen, but Bryant said his back is feeling much better.
“I’m happy with where I’m at right now,” Bryant said. “It’s the best I’ve felt in a long time.”
Despite that optimism, Bryant acknowledged his aching back — he has disc problems and what he called “severe arthritis” — will be a challenge for the rest of his career.
“I know I have a bad back, and that’s no secret, and there are some things in there you aren’t going to heal,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s just part of getting older, and it sucks.”
As much as Bryant tried to stay upbeat through his latest stint on the IL, his teammates knew he was bummed out.
“KB only quietly expresses his frustration,” said third baseman Ryan McMahon, who’s become close to Bryant. “Kris doesn’t wear it on his face, but I can feel it.”
Embracing teammates
Through all of his pain and dissatisfaction, Bryant has tried to remain a good teammate.
Last year, for example, he bought a Rolex watch for Jones, who reached his rookie-season goals of 20 home runs and 20 steals.
“KB plays a huge part in this clubhouse,” said Jones, who’s also on the injured list with a low back injury. “He’s someone you can talk to through any situation. He’s been at the very top and at the very bottom as well. For a young player like me, having somebody like him around, being able to talk to him and pick his brain about baseball situations has been huge.”
McMahon added, “He’s been awesome. He’s been open for a lot of guys to talk to, and I know he’s talked to a lot of the younger guys one-on-one. And for a guy like him, who’s working so much and putting in so much time to try and get back, that says a lot.”
For Bryant, being a good teammate is everything.
“When it’s all said and done, and I’m done playing baseball, I, personally, am not going to remember what my teammates’ stats were,” Bryant said. “I’m just going to remember the camaraderie and how they made me feel. And that’s what I’m trying to embrace.
“I want to be the first guy to give a high-five when a guy hits a home run or high-five the pitchers when they are grinding. I want to be there in good times and tough times. That’s very easy to do, and it doesn’t take too much effort to be a good teammate. I want guys to remember me in that light, not be remembered for hitting home runs or getting an MVP award.”
But there’s no escaping the on-field reality. In six-plus seasons with Chicago (833 games), his cumulative WAR (Wins Above Replacement, via Baseball Reference) was 27.7. In two-plus seasons with the Rockies (135 games), it’s -0.9.
During his 2016 MVP season, Bryant hit a career-high 39 home runs, with a home run rate of 5.6% and an average exit velocity of 89.3 mph, according to Baseball Savant. Last season, Bryant hit 10 homers, with a home run rate of 3.0% and an average exit velocity of 85.7 mph. The average major league exit velocity is 88.5 mph.
Still, if Bryant ever gets healthy, manager Bud Black believes he can be a productive cog in Colorado’s offense.
“Kris has a track record of getting on base and driving in runs,” Black said. “He still has elite skills as a hitter. We need Kris for our offense to get better. A healthy KB gives our lineup some veteran stability.”
‘That’s how life goes’
Bryant says he’s learned how to block most of the criticism that comes his way. He doesn’t pay attention to social media and tries to ignore what’s written about him.
That’s a big change from when the Cubs made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft out of the University of San Diego.
Back then, he used to track insults and slights.
” ‘This guy’s a 5 o’clock hitter … he can’t do this or that’,” Bryant said, recalling some of the barbs. “I would search the internet for stupid things that the media would write. I’d write them down on index cards. I found out that that is not the most healthy way to live your life. I have kind of toned that down.”
And critics be damned, Bryant believes he can still play baseball at a high level.
“Of course, I can,” he said. “You don’t just throw away, in my case, 25 years of playing the game and being really good at it. So, of course, you think you can.”
Asked how he’ll react if that doesn’t happen, Bryant turned philosophical.
“If you can’t, then they move on to the next person, and you’re forgotten fairly quickly, and you die, and you become dirt in the ground, and nobody remembers you,” Bryant said, motioning to the infield at Coors Field. “And that’s how life goes.
“But, in the moment, I would love to be MVP and someone who can help this team win as many games as possible. That makes for a better story.”
Kris Bryant’s injury list
Rockies first baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant escaped injuries early in his career, but they have marred his recent seasons:
2018#: Limited to 102 games. On IL twice from left shoulder inflammation, June 23-July 11 and July 24-Sept. 1. Marked the first time in his career he landed on the IL.
2019#: Played in 147 games. Suffered a right ankle sprain on Sept. 22 and missed the remainder of the season.
2020#: On the IL Aug. 19-Sept. 1 with a left ring finger sprain suffered on Aug. 12 while attempting a diving catch in left field. Missed four games from Sept. 22-25 with right lower oblique tightness.
2022: Limited to 42 games. On the IL with a lower back strain April 29-May 21 and May 23-June 27. On the IL on Aug. 1 with plantar fasciitis in his left foot and missed the remainder of the season.
2023: Limited to 80 games. On the IL June 1-30 with a bruised left heel. On the IL July 22-Sept. 11 with a fractured left index finger following a hit-by-pitch on July 22.
2024: Went on the injured list with a strained lower back strain on April 14. Missed 24 of the first 37 games.
Source: Rockies media guide | # Played for the Chicago Cubs
