Ex-Bonanza star Kris Bryant could be No. 1 pick in Thursday’s MLB draft

Mike Bryant put a 50-foot batting cage in his backyard for his then 5-year-old son, his youngest, and on the surface installing such equipment could appear as the typical Little League father living vicariously through his little boy.

But Bryant knew what it was like to be a top prospect and come up short. He was drafted in the ninth round in 1980 by the Boston Red Sox, but lasted in the minor leagues for only two years.

He wanted to pass along his love of baseball to his sons, but the experience served as a warning sign not to force his passion on them. The batting cage would be there, and he would coach them, but Mike Bryant would let his sons develop a love for the game on their own.

They did, but Kris Bryant did more than play because he loved baseball. He also excelled at it.

And now the son of a father who wouldn’t overly push him will be one of the top picks in Thursday’s Major League Baseball draft. Bryant, a Bonanza High School graduate and University of San Diego star who put up mind-numbing power numbers as a junior this season, probably will go in the top five with a chance to be selected first by the Houston Astros.

“He’s in the discussion to go as the first overall pick in the draft,” Mike Bryant said. “Just to be in the conversation is outstanding.”

Bryant, who played first and third base for San Diego, also is one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the nation’s top amateur player. Bryce Harper, then at College of Southern Nevada, won it in 2010.

Mike Bryant said part of the reason his son passionately pursued the sport was because he began hitting home runs in droves when he was 8 and liked the feeling of watching the ball fly out of the yard.

He has kept on doing that, this season smashing 31 for the Toreros. Thirty-one in a season a few years ago would have been impressive but wouldn’t have stunned anyone.

Since college baseball went to the BBCOR bats two years ago, however, hitting 31 with the power-sapping bat is almost imaginable. Bryant’s total — much higher than his goal of 20 — was better than 223 teams, and the next closest slugger, Elon’s Ryan Kinsella, was 10 homers behind.

“The thing you always look for is power,” one unnamed scout told CBSSports.com. “Those bats they use in college now are horrible. They’ve really cut the numbers down, except for him. And he doesn’t play in altitude or in a small park. His numbers are legit.”

One of those homers has created a little bit of legend around Bryant, his 500- to 600-foot shot early this season against Saint Louis. Some observers say the ball traveled over the 80-foot light tower in left field.

“I’ll remember that home run forever because that was the farthest ball that I’ve hit,” Bryant said.

Bryant, who is 6 feet 5 inches and 215 pounds, is about far more than pulling fastballs over the left-field wall. He also led San Diego with a .329 batting average.

“I had some statistical goals, but more of my goals were on the mental side,” Bryant said. “Just staying in the moment and not let the outside distractions affect me, like scouts, the draft, media, all that. I tried to go into every game with the same mindset and always tried to stay positive. I think I’ve done a great job of that this year.”

He said he was more focused on helping the team win, which the Toreros did in finishing 37-24 and making a regional.

“Going into the year, I felt if I helped my team win games, this whole draft would take care of itself and my numbers would take care of themselves,” Bryant said. “They obviously have, so I’m pleased with where I’m at today.”

UNLV got to see up close what Bryant can do. He went a combined 4-for-7 with four RBIs in two games with the Rebels, hitting two homers in the May 6 game in Las Vegas.

“He hits balls out of the strike zone,” UNLV coach Tim Chambers said. “When you’re a young baseball player and all you’re getting is breaking balls and changeups and sliders and split fingers and no fastballs, the reality is that’s making you a better player. The offspeed pitch ends everybody’s career. So the guys that can hit offspeed pitches go a long ways. Because he’s seen it so many times, he’s able to hit that pitch.”

Bryant began “to see quality breaking pitches when he was 11 years old,” his dad said, coming from the arms of 13- and 14-year-olds. Mixed in with the faster speeds from older pitchers, he had to learn how to pick up the spin on the pitches, how the pitchers’ fingers were placed and how much white he could see on the ball.

Learning and excelling against older talent was a theme for Bryant, who at 8 was homering off fastballs from 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds.

His ability began to manifest itself when Bryant was 5, and at the end of a Little League practice, his dad had him and other youngsters take cuts at the plate. The other players predictably hit weak grounders to infielders.

When Bryant stepped up, he sent the first pitch deep into the outfield.

“He looked like a 10-year-old,” Mike Bryant said.

Though Mike Bryant would coach his son until he left for college, his own experiences in the minor leagues showed him baseball offers few guarantees.

He played a short season in the Red Sox organization and then a full Single-A season, losing 23 pounds that second year to drop to 187. He went from carrying a 32½-ounce bat to one that was 29½ ounces.

Mike Bryant was out of baseball after hitting .210 that season.

So even though his son showed clear talent, perhaps even superb talent, he was careful not to push too hard. The father also wanted a well-rounded prodigy, and while at San Diego, Bryant was offered the chances to apply for Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships, and the finance major carries about a 3.3 GPA.

“My experience in pro ball in a sense benefited Kris,” Mike Bryant said. “I know where all the potholes are, all the bodies are buried, where all the mistakes are made. That will help prepare him. It’s a long season. He has to eat right. He has to get his rest. He has to take care of his body.”

The family will be together today when Bryant finds out when he is drafted and by which team.

The player who wasn’t pushed too hard by his dad is about to try to live out a dream.

“He’s always been there for me, and he’s still there,” Bryant said of his dad. “I call him after every game, even in college. He’s been the greatest dad that I could ask for.”

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