When Barry Bonds was at his peak with the San Francisco Giants, he was lucky to get one pitch per game that was in the hitting zone. Of course, more often than not, he didn’t miss it.
Chicago Cubs star rookie Kris Bryant obviously isn’t at that point yet, though the team does believe he’s already getting pitched like Bonds.
Bryant’s patience is especially impressive, considering that, in the words of assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske, he is “getting pitched like Barry Bonds.” Pitchers indeed throw Bryant breaking balls at a far higher rate than the major-league average – a pattern that Bryant noticed right from his major-league debut, when he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Even Kris Bryant agrees, suggesting that he wasn’t expecting such coming out of the minor leagues but after his first game knew things wouldn’t be what he envisioned regarding the way pitchers throw to him.
Regardless, it doesn’t appear as if the Chicago Cubs star talent is having too difficult of a time as through his first 30 games as a professional baseball player, he’s clubbed four home runs and has posted a very solid .291 batting average.
Not bad for a guy who not that long ago was lighting up Double-A pitching.
