HR0872 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0872 LRB099 15445 MST 39730 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives would like to congratulate Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs on unanimously being voted as the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America for his outstanding play and successful contributions to his team this year; and

WHEREAS, Kristopher "Kris" Lee Bryant, son of Mike and Susie Bryant, was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 4, 1992; from a very young age, he showed promise in the sport of baseball; after graduating from Bonanza High School with numerous awards and recognitions at age 18, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft in June of that year; however, the young ballplayer elected to attend the University of San Diego (USD)instead; and

WHEREAS, Kris Bryant continued to grow and excel while playing for the USD Toreros; in 2013, he had his best collegiate season, registering 31 home runs and leading the country with 80 runs, 66 walks, 187 total bases, and an outstanding .820 slugging percentage; this effort propelled him to be awarded the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, an award that recognizes the nation's top amateur baseball player each year; in that same year, he also received the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the collegiate player that best represents courage, character, leadership, and performance; and

WHEREAS, Given Kris Bryant's stellar results on the field and positive potential for play in the major leagues, the Chicago Cubs selected him with the number 2 overall pick in the MLB 2013 First-Year Player Draft; and

WHEREAS, Kris Bryant began his professional career with the Boise Hawks and quickly enjoyed successful promotions to the Daytona Cubs, Tennessee Smokies, and, finally, the Iowa Cubs; by the end of a stellar campaign in 2014, he was named the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year and the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year, leading baseball critics to consider him one of the top prospects for the 2015 season; and

WHEREAS, Kris Bryant was invited to play for the Chicago Cubs during the team's Cactus League spring training in Mesa, Arizona, where he took full advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate his talents; the 23-year-old prospect posted impressive statistics that accurately displayed his knack for hitting for both power and average; the young Cubs right-hander hit 9 home runs while posting a .425 batting average on just 40 at-bats; and

WHEREAS, Kris Bryant came into the 2015 MLB season with everyone watching and waiting to see what the young 23-year-old infielder could bring to the young Chicago Cubs team, and he surely did not disappoint; after being named MLB Rookie of the Month for May and capitalizing on the opportunity to start in both infield and outfield positions for the Cubs, he joined fellow teammate Anthony Rizzo in the 2015 All-Star Game played in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 14, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Kris Bryant continued to demonstrate his talents by being named the MLB Rookie of the Month for a second time in the month of August; and

WHEREAS, While baseball is a not a sport that can easily be won or lost on the shoulders of just one individual, Kris Bryant played an instrumental role in helping the Chicago Cubs obtain the third best record in baseball and, more importantly, successfully earn a playoff birth for the first time since 2008; and

WHEREAS, With Kris Bryant batting third in the line-up, the Chicago Cubs beat their division rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, in a one game wild card playoff at PNC Park on October 7, 2015; after securing a spot in the National League Division Series, the Cubs went on to defeat division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals; after their strong showing against the Cardinals, the Cubs proceeded to face the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series - a position the team had not been in since the 2003 season; and

WHEREAS, Kris Bryant had a stellar 2015 rookie season, playing in 151 games, hitting 26 home runs, registering a .275 batting average, scoring 99 runs-batted-in, and stealing 13 bases; among the top rookies in the National League, he was first in home runs (tying Joe Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers), runs, runs-batted-in, on-base percentage, doubles, sacrifice flies, and total bases; he was in the top-5 in hits, triples, walks, steals, and many other categories; and

WHEREAS, In October of 2015, Sporting News named Kris Bryant as the 2015 National League Rookie Player of the Year, as selected by a panel of 167 National League players; this prestigious distinction has been awarded since 1946; he joins a select list of former Chicago Cubs players to have received this incredible honor, including Billy Williams (1961), Mark Grace (1988), and Kerry Wood (1998); and

WHEREAS, Kris Bryant has demonstrated that he is a true leader and influential member of the Chicago Cubs organization; at the age of 23, he not only has earned the respect of his teammates in the clubhouse, but has displayed a sincere and unbridled passion for the sport; his potential is unrivaled by any other young player in the sport today; after only one season of playing in the major leagues, he has already become a central figure for the Cubbies and one that the team hopes will help them achieve much more success for many years to come; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we celebrate the success of Kris Bryant, along with the Chicago Cubs, in the 2015 season, and we congratulate him on being named the 2015 Major League Baseball National League Rookie of the Year; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to Kris Bryant as a token of our congratulations and esteem.