Kris Bryant is fourth in the National League and eighth in all of baseball with 3.6 fWAR, his stats are better in nearly every category than during his 2016 MVP campaign, and he’s coming off of his third All-Star appearance. That he’s done it all in the wake of a lost season in which he battled a shoulder injury that forced him to the IL twice and led some to question his long-term outlook should be cause for celebration, maybe even relief.
Except Bryant isn’t really feeling either of those as he embarks on what he hopes will be an even better second half.