Kris Bryant made headlines once again on Wednesday when Baseball America named him their 2013 College Player of the Year. The Cubs’ first round pick in last week’s draft put together a very memorable junior year at the University of San Diego.
Bryant hit 31 home runs, the most by a college player since 2003, and ten more longballs than any other player in the country. Bryant’s college coach, Rich Hill, said he is the total package and a player that comes around once in a coach’s career. Bryant hit .329/.493/.820 with 31 home runs and led the nation in home runs, slugging, runs scored, total bases and walks.
Baseball America also named Kris Bryant a first-team All-American, the only player to repeat as a first-team All-American.
The Cubs expect Kris Bryant to stay at third base despite the reports that he could end up moving to the outfield. Jason McLeod said after the draft that once Bryant is signed they anticipate him beginning his pro career in Short-Season A-Ball before deciding what his next stop would be in the Cubs’ minor league system. There has been talk that Bryant could play in the Arizona Fall League to round out his year.
Full Report from Baseball America