Kris Bryant Just Did Something We Haven’t Seen Since 2016

The tricky thing about batting average is that it doesn’t tell you how a player is doing right now, or even in the last couple weeks depending on how big a total sample you’re dealing with. In Kris Bryant’s case, people see a former MVP hitting .230 and wonder whether the shoulder is really healthy. However, too much focus on outcomes can obscure the process.

Yes, positive outcomes are required to a great degree, since no one wins games based on the aesthetics of their plate approach or having a really high exit velocity. But it’s an immutable fact that hitting the ball really hard is a good way to get hits, which is why Kris Bryant’s 1-for-4 performance in Tuesday’s win looks better when…