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The Colorado Rockies are in hell. Ironic, since they play up in Denver, but the way this team is playing, you’d think that they came from the deepest pits of Tartatus. They’re just a bad team… no other way around it. It certainly doesn’t help that one of their franchise players, Kris Bryant, is in the midst of a massive slump. After signing a long-term contract, Bryant has struggled to find the form he once had before.
Obviously, everyone in Colorado is frustrated. Kris Bryant himself must be frustrated about his own play. However, what’s unacceptable is how some fans react to his struggles on the field. The Rockies star talked about the death threats and aggression he’s taken from frustrated fans, per Bob Nightengale.
Colorado Rockies fans didn’t try to hide their disgust towards Kris Bryant and his struggles by heavily booing him at their home opener. “I’ve been through it all,” Bryant told reporters. “The death threats, the ‘kill yourself.’ All the craziness that this game will dish out. It takes courage to show up every day in this game. This game dishes you a lot. A lot of up, well, not a lot of up, but a lot of downs.”
Why is Bryant heavily booed? Well, it might have something to do with his recent comments. Bryant went viral recently for comments that seemed to imply that he regretted signing with Colorado. The quote was taken out of context, and it was just an interpretation, but the damage was already done.
“It’s like, ‘Oh shoot, I need to get there,” Bryant said. “There were other teams interested, but I didn’t want to wait around. It was a completely different situation for a lot of free agents at the time. I guess I didn’t do as much research into the prospects as I should.”
Rockies and Bryant’s struggles
Bryant signed a massive deal with the Rockies back in 2022. It was an interesting move, to say the least: Bryant was a highly coveted free agent, and teams definitely would’ve wanted him on the team. However, he decided to join Colorado.
His first year was pretty damn good: a plus-.300 batting average and an OPS+ of 128 is solid. He didn’t earn any accolades, but the Rockies would’ve been happy to see that same performance year after year. Since then, though, it’s just been… bad. 2023 saw Bryant’s performance tank in ways we’ve never seen, partly due to injuries. His batting average dropped to .233, and his WAR has steadily dropped.
It’s been especially worse in 2024. Currently, Bryant is batting just .120 with a dismal 41 OPS+. Strikeouts are becoming the norm for the former All-Star now. He’s seemingly been dealing with back issues, which is a problem. Still, even when he’s relatively healthy, the Rockies star has been the complete opposite of the player they hoped they signed. There’s a good reason why fans are frustrated.
That being said… death threats are not the answer. It’s frustrating to see your best player struggle, yes, but that should never be a reason to wish death on a man or his family. Rockies fans are free to vent their frustration, but aiming it directly at Bryant (or worse, his family) is not the solution.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel for the Rockies. While the rest of their division spent the offseason retooling, the team continued to trudge along with the same team. That would’ve been fine if the had the best team in baseball. What they have, though, was the complete opposite. It’s unfortunate that this is happening to Colorado’s baseball-crazed crowd.
More must-reads:
- Three MLB teams that should push the panic button
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