Kris Bryant followed up his National League Rookie of the Year Award winning 2015 with a NL Most Valuable Player clinching 2016. He was an All-Star both years and won (along with the rest of his Chicago Cubs teammates) the World Series in his second season. You may have heard a thing or to two about the Cubs winning the World Series, it was on all the home pages.
All this success had led to Kris Bryant and company dominating the ESPY nominees list, which just came out today.
Here’s a list of the categories with Cubs representation.
BEST MALE ATHLETE
Kris Bryant, MLB
Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup Finals
Michael Phelps, Swimming
Russell Westbrook, NBA
BEST GAME
Cubs vs. Indians, World Series Game 7
Patriots vs. Falcons, Super Bowl
Federer vs. Nadal, Australian Open Final
BEST PLAY (16 NOMINEES VOTED BRACKET-STYLE)
- Julian Edelman Super Bowl catch vs. 16. Noah Brown TD catch around defender
- Morgan Williams buzzer beater vs. UConn vs.15. Larry Nance dunk
- Aaron Rodgers to Jared Cook vs. 14. Lamar Jackson hurdles defender
- Northwestern buzzer beater vs. 13. Edwin Encarnacion walk off HR
- Russell Westbrook buzzer beater vs. 12. LeBron James dunk off the backboard
- Chris Coghlan leaps over catcher vs. 11. Sidney Crosby one-handed goal
- Olivier Giroud scorpion kick goa l vs. 10. Warriors jump ball transition dunk
- Mario Mandzukic goal in UEFA Final vs. 9. Jarrod Dyson catch
BEST TEAM
Chicago Cubs, MLB
Clemson Tigers, CFB
Golden State Warriors, NBA
Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL
New England Patriots, NFL
South Carolina Gamecocks, Women’s NCAA Basketball
US Women’s Gymnastics
BEST MLB PLAYER
Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
Rick Porcello, Boston Red Sox
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Mike Trout, LA Angels
Fans can cast their vote on ESPYS.com Winners will be announced during the show, hosted by Peyton Manning and broadcast live on ABC on Wednesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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