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Former Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant says he has received multiple death threats from fans since signing with the Colorado Rockies in 2022.
Bryant, who inked a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Rockies after six-plus excellent seasons with the Cubs, has struggled mightily since the move to Colorado.
After winning the 2015 Rookie of the Year Award and the National League MVP in 2016, Kris Bryant looked like a generational talent who was potentially on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
In 2021, the year before signing with the Rockies, Bryant was still one of the top players in the game, hitting 32 doubles and 25 home runs with 73 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Since then, Bryant has played in just 130 games over two-plus seasons, batting .250 with 16 home runs, 48 RBI and zero stolen bases.
His career OPS with the Cubs was an impressive .886. With the Rockies it has been an abysmal .724.
This year, the 32-year-old is batting .107 with one home run and 3 RBI in 8 games.
During a recent game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Bryant was booed by Rockies fans for striking out with a runner in scoring position early in the game, then again when he struck out in the ninth inning. Fans seemed to have forgotten, ignored or dismissed the fact that he hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning of the game which Colorado won 10-7.
Kris Bryant couldn’t have been any more of a pro when asked about boos he received from Rockies crowd Friday in home opener. Answer here: 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/Z5Rzwn3xsw
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) April 6, 2024
Afterwards, Bryant revealed, “I’ve been through it all, death threats, kill yourself, all the craziness that this game will dish out. It’s just what I’ve been trying to talk with these young guys … It takes courage to keep showing up.
“It’s going to make you a better person at the end of your career. It’s something that I’ll be able to teach my kids through adversity, how do you respond to it? And you just gotta keep going.”
Rockies first baseman Kris Bryant discusses the ugly side of baseball after Friday's Home Opener:
“I've been through it all – death threats, kill yourself all the craziness that this game will dish out” pic.twitter.com/X7psTvb86o
— Dave Althouse (@davealthouse) April 6, 2024
Little wonder that Kris Bryant sounded like he might have been regretting his decision to play in Colorado at one point during Spring Training.
Sadly, as Bryant pointed out, “It’s the way of the world and it’s a little bit unfortunate that it sometimes goes there.”
It’s more than a little bit unfortunate. It’s just wrong.