Last night, without much suspense or competition, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was named the MVP of the National League. When you slug 39 home runs with a .292/.385/.554 line with plus defense and versatility for a historically good club, it's pretty much a forgone conclusion. The hardware just continues to role in for the blossoming superstar.
Since 2013, Bryant has taken home the trophies for MVP, Rookie of the Year, Minor League Player of the Year and the Golden Spikes Award (given to the best player in the collegiate ranks) in consecutive years. Oh and he's got a World Series ring to boot too and he's only 24. This is something that has never been done in the immensely long history of baseball and the guy is just getting started. Cubs fans - just think, we could have been stuck with Mark Appel instead.
To commemorate the Cubs' first MVP since Sammy Sosa's 66 homers in 1998, I've created this custom card of the young slugger in the mold of the "MVP" subset found in 1989 Donruss. As a kid who grew up in the junk wax era, this design is what instantly pops into my head whenever I hear about that award.
I feel like this is a fitting tribute to someone who is well on their way to becoming an all-time great. Tell me what you think in the comments - did I capture the spirit of the design?
Here's hoping that I'll be creating a few more of these in the years to come!
That's such a cool feat (the various awards), and it's great for baseball to have a guy like Bryant turning into a star. I'm somewhat reminded of another guy who won a ROY, then an MVP and World Series the following year. His name: Cal Ripken Jr.
ReplyDeleteAlso, great job on the custom as a nice throwback to '89 Donruss!
Oh man... those 1989 Donruss MVP cards haunt me in my sleep. Although I gotta say... your custom is awesome!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the custom. I really need to complete my 1989 Donruss set some day, it's not like it would be expensive to do so...
ReplyDeleteThis Dunruss '89 card remake of the MVP design gives us that Andre Dawson card nostalgia! Amazing custom art! Kris delivered such a great game for the Cubs he doesn't deserve only the NL MVP award, he should also be People's Choice for Best Baseball Team Player -award from his fans and every other proud and grateful Cubbies fanatic!
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