Leave it to Scott Boras to try to quell the first excitement that made its way to the Cubs in quite some time.
The super-agent bashed the Cubs’ commitment to winning based on the likely scenario of them starting future star Kris Bryant at Triple-A this season. If you are not familiar with the highly touted third-base prospect, he’s the one tearing up spring training with one monstrous home run after another.
The numbers: 23 at-bats, 10 hits, six home runs, nine RBIs, 1.304 slugging and a 1.804 OPS.
The visuals:
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Despite all this, and a remarkable 2014 season in the minors after going No. 2 overall in the 2013 draft, the 23-year-old is not expected to make the trip up to Wrigley at the start of the season because of MLB’s service time rules.
“You are damaging the ethics and brand of Major League Baseball,” Boras told USA Today. “Kris Bryant has extraordinary skills. Kris Bryant is a superstar. He has distinguished himself from all players at every level he’s played. Everybody in baseball is saying he’s a major-league player ready for the big leagues. I have players call me. Executives call me. The Cubs’ people want him there. Everyone says, ‘They cannot send this guy down.’ It’s too obvious.
“This isn’t a system choice. This isn’t a mandate. This is a flat ownership decision. Do they really want to win here?”
That’s some pretty serious accusations. So, how long is Bryant’s delay that will keep him from free agency for a full season?
April 17 – or 10 games. Oh.
Cubs president Theo Epstein, who has the team in position to contend for the first time in six years after a lengthy rebuild, responded to the altruistic Boras.
“Kris Bryant’s development path has absolutely nothing to do with ownership, period. As with all our baseball decisions, I will determine where Kris begins the 2015 season after consulting with members of our baseball operations staff. Comments from agents, media members and anybody outside our organization will be ignored,” Epstein told Fox Sports.
Bryant played it pretty much down the middle on his first comments on the controversy, saying he was grateful for his teammates saying they wanted him on the big-league team and for Boras’ aggressive tactics.
“Scott works for me,” Bryant told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday. “He does a great job. It’s nice to have a bulldog working for you rather than a poodle. He definitely sticks up for his players. He wants the best for me.
“I was aware of [the comments]. But the media approached him. He wasn’t seeking the media. We spoke. I got the gist of it, but I really try to limit those distractions as much as possible. But we’re at a crucial point in spring training, and I’m in a good position, so we’ll see where it goes.’’
