Young Cubs vital in WS bid
CHICAGO – Kris Bryant says he gets chills every time the fans at Wrigley Field shower him with “MVP!” chants.
The 24-year-old just doesn’t show it – a common trait among his young teammates. If anything can overwhelm these kid Cubbies, they haven’t faced it yet.
Bryant was one of five players 24 or younger in the starting lineup for the Cubs during Game 6 of the NL Championship Series, and that group is showing maturity beyond its years. Keep this up, and they could give Chicago a party generations in the making.
Bryant has already established himself as one of the game’s top power hitters. Javier Baez (23 years old) made one spectacular play after another in the infield while winning NLCS co-MVP. Addison Russell (22) is an All-Star shortstop with power and Gold Glove aspirations. Catcher Willson Contreras (24) and outfielder Albert Almora Jr. (22) are rookies getting at-bats with a heavy World Series favorite.
And so the Cubs are seeking their first championship since 1908 fueled by players too young to remember the first time a Clinton vied for the US presidency.
Chicago beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS for its first pennant since 1945, and now faces the Cleveland Indians in the World Series with a chance to end the sport’s longest title drought.
If Chicago’s youngsters feel any jitters before Game 1 on Tuesday night in Cleveland, don’t expect to see them.
“Our young players are playing like they’re 32-year-old veterans,” 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta said. “It’s just fun to watch. I get to play one out of every five days, but to really see the way our guys go about taking care of business makes me really appreciate the guys I’m able to play with.”
Bryant and the other burgeoning Cubs helped Chicago lead the majors with 103 wins in the regular season, and it’s been more of the same in October. After pulling out 14 victories in their final at-bat during the regular season, the Cubs did it twice against San Francisco in the NL Division Series, then rallied from a 2-1 series deficit to beat the Dodgers.
Veterans like Jon Lester have done their part, but the younger players have had plenty of pivotal moments, too.