Jesus Christ himself returned today and descended upon Wrigley Field, taking human flesh and going under the name Kris Bryant, or at least that is what you would believe based on the Cubs recalling their star prospect now that he has surpassed the deadline for earning a full year of service time this season.  So of course, the Cubs continued their winning ways, remaining in first place while Bryant single-handedly won the game while simultaneously rebuilding the outfield bleachers and installing 5 new sets of bathrooms.  Anything else would, of course, be a tremendous let down.

Well, Bryant made his major league debut in the cleanup spot for the Cubs and finished the day 0-4 with 3 strikeouts as the Cubs fell to the Padres and dropped out of first place.  Not an auspicious debut for the so-called savior.  Of course, it isn’t really fair to tag Bryant with expectations of leading the franchise to their first World Series title in 107 years, but that hasn’t stopped certain corners of Cub fandom, who look to Bryant’s future success as a lock.

One radio announcer this morning wondered, without a hint of sarcasm, if the 12 days Bryant missed would affect his chances of earning the MVP award come seasons end.  The same announcer (Mully?  Hanley?  I don’t know who’s who) also reluctantly agreed that he would probably be satisfied if Bryant ended up with Mike Schmidt’s career.  That’s Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

None of this should be taken as a knock against Kris Bryant.  He’s obviously talented and will likely become a superstar.  But I think it is fair to say that we should make him earn it at the big league level.  Annointing him MVP prior to his first major league at bat (a 3 pitch strikeout) makes you look silly and does nothing but put tremendous pressure on someone who should, if everything falls right, become a cornerstone of a Cub resurgance over the next 7 years.