Cubs tab Bonanza product Bryant at No. 2

Third baseman Kris Bryant could have flown to New Jersey and sat in the dugout of the MLB Network set with other top draft prospects.

He could have invited local media to his Las Vegas home to record his reaction.

He did neither.

Bryant wanted to make it an intimate family affair to watch the Major League Baseball Draft play out Thursday with those who know him best.

So it was appropriate Bryant was selected with the second overall pick by the Chicago Cubs, a city where he has family ties.

It’s also a city starving for a Cubs title, not celebrating one since 1908.

“I know they haven’t won a World Series in a while,” Bryant told the team website. “Hopefully, I can do all I can to help the Cubs win one. That’s about the extent of what I know. I know it’s a great baseball city, I know it’s a great team, a lot of history to it. I’m excited and just happy I’m going to be given the opportunity to continue playing this game.”

Bryant, a former Bonanza High School star and slugging infielder for the University of San Diego, was the second Las Vegan in four years to be among the top two picks. Bryce Harper was taken No. 1 in 2010 by the Washington Nationals.

Bryant is expected to receive about a $6.7 million signing bonus based on MLB’s slotting system. He previously was drafted in the 18th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010 and reportedly rejected a bonus of as much as $1.2 million to play for San Diego.

Now it’s a matter of the Cubs closing the deal with Bryant, who is rumored to be represented by Scott Boras.

Multiple attempts by the Review-Journal to reach Bryant, who commented to the Cubs’ site and the Chicago Tribune, were unsuccessful.

Bryant told the Cubs’ site he’s ready to get started.

“I obviously think I could play in the big leagues now,” he said. “I have that type of confidence in myself, but that’s not my decision. I’ll leave that up to the guys in charge.”

Bryant, who is 6 feet 5 inches, 215 pounds, led the country with 31 home runs this past season at San Diego.

The junior hit 10 more than the next closest slugger and had more than 223 teams.

“Thirty-one home runs, you heard that 10 years ago,” said former major leaguer Harold Reynolds, now an MLB Network analyst. “You don’t hear that today.”

Bryant also led the Toreros with a .329 batting average.

“Kris had an incredible season at San Diego, hitting for both power and average,” Jason McLeod, Cubs vice president of scouting and player development, said in a statement. “He is a big, strong, athletic player, and we feel he has the attributes of someone who could fit into the middle of a lineup at the major league level. He has the ability to hit for average along with power to all parts of the park.”

The Cubs last owned the second pick in 2001, and used it to select Southern California pitcher Mark Prior, whose promising career was cut short because of injuries.

“Nothing’s guaranteed, we all know that,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum told the team site. “The key to those high picks like that is it’s easy to say, ‘Make sure it’s an impact player.’ Whether it’s a position player or a pitcher, you want him to be an impact player in a couple years when you’re drafting that high.”

Spring Valley High graduate Aaron Blair, a junior right-handed pitcher at Marshall, was selected third in competitive balance round A, between the first and second rounds, by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was taken with the 36th overall pick.

Blair (6-4, 220) was first team All-Conference-USA after going 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 82 innings. He also reportedly tested positive for the banned substance Adderall.

Basic High graduate Andrew Church (6-2, 190) was chosen ninth in the second round, 48th overall, by the New York Mets. If the right-handed pitcher doesn’t sign with the Mets, he will play college ball at San Diego.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.