Bryant's jersey the most popular of 2015 season
Cubs All-Star becomes first rookie to take No. 1 spot in rankings
Kris Bryant led all rookies in home runs (26), RBIs (99), runs (87) and doubles (31) this past season, but all you need to do to get a true assessment of his impact on Major League Baseball is just look at all of the No. 17 Cubs jerseys around Chicago these days.
Taking over a spot that used to be ruled by legend Derek Jeter, the Cubs All-Star became the first rookie to top the list earlier this year when MLB and the MLB Players Association jointly announced their ranking of the most popular jerseys for 2015, based on Majestic Athletic jersey sales at MLB.com/shop. Now until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, all authentic jerseys in the MLB.com shop are 40 percent off.
Following Bryant on the list are the Giants battery of Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey, then 2014 Most Valuable Player Award winners Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Mike Trout of the Angels rounding out the top five.
Six of the top 10 players were 26 years of age or younger at the end of the regular season, part of an unprecedented wave of young superstar talent. Bryant is a key face of that change, living up to the big promise and hype when he was finally called up for the Cubs' 10th game of the season on April 17 against San Diego. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said the widespread anticipation and excitement that day was "part of the fabric of baseball," and his words could not have been truer.
The Cubs are also represented on the list by All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo, at No. 8.
Making their career debuts on the list are Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, Astros rookie shortstop Carlos Correa and Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. Players representing 13 clubs make up the top 20 most popular player jerseys, a group that includes eight infielders, four outfielders, two catchers, five pitchers and one designated hitter.
Here is the full list:
1. Kris Bryant, Cubs
2. Madison Bumgarner, Giants
3. Buster Posey, Giants
4. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
5. Mike Trout, Angels
6. Bryce Harper, Nationals
7. Hunter Pence, Giants
8. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
9. Matt Harvey, Mets
10. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
11. David Wright, Mets
12. Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
13. Todd Frazier, Reds
14. David Ortiz, Red Sox
15. Yadier Molina, Cardinals
16. Carlos Correa, Astros
17. Jacob deGrom, Mets
18. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
19. Felix Hernandez, Mariners
20. Albert Pujols, Angels