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Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
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The Cubs’ Kris Bryant won the Rookie of the Year in 2015, as well as the hearts and minds of adoring fans everywhere. He’s young, he’s talented, he plays for a historic franchise — he has everything you need to become a recognizable star. And after his 2016, he might also have an MVP award to add to the mix, as he’s crushing the National League, and it’s not close. A look at the leaders in wins above replacement, courtesy of Baseball Reference, shows us a couple of things, but the main takeaway is that Bryant is far and away the most productive player in the NL in 2016.
Now, WAR isn’t the end-all by any means, but it’s still fascinating to see (1) just how good Bryant’s season has been and (2) how much better it is than those of his Senior Circuit peers. Bryant is over six wins, whereas teammate Anthony Rizzo — number two in the NL in Baseball Reference’s WAR — is under five. The margin of error for WAR is large, but that’s still a noticeable gap, and it’s in part due to the quality defense Bryant has played. Good thing he got that extra couple of weeks of training in the minor leagues to begin 2015, right?
Bryant had himself a day on Thursday, going 5-for-5 with two homers. He’s leading the NL in homers with 30, and is tied for fifth in the majors in dingers. He’s hitting .296/.392/.564 with a 153 OPS+ on the season, a significant improvement from a rookie campaign that didn’t necessarily need improving upon. He’s been even better than that since the end of June, batting .347/.446/.636 with 12 homers in his last 45 games, helping to pull the Cubs out of their mediocre mid-season stretch. Unless someone steps up over the next six weeks, Bryant very well could be the NL MVP.
- This fan tried to catch a foul ball, but instead it hit him in the stomach and he spilled his beer.
- The general manager of the Astros, Jeff Luhnow, is not pleased that no-trade clauses have hurt his team but helped their rival, the Rangers.
- We shared the best stories of 2016 with you earlier this week. These stories are the opposite of that.
- The Giants might need to replace Matt Cain. These are some potential replacements for the longtime starter.
- Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista have been mentioned as possible David Ortiz replacements, but the Red Sox might want to ask the Reds what’s up with Joey Votto instead.
- The A’s have had a rough 2016 and are playing for next year, so who should they be throwing in the lineup regularly for the rest of the year?
- The Little League World Series has begun! Panama and New York impressed on Day 1.
- Sandy Alderson said the Mets have no "present" plans to replace manager Terry Collins, but he also didn’t endorse him as manager, so that’s, at the least, awkward.