The Rockies’ $182 million man finally hit his first home run of the season

It took until July 5, but Rockies left fielder Kris Bryant finally hit a baseball over the fence last night for a home run.

It was his first dinger since signing a massive seven-year, $182 million deal with Colorado this offseason.

Kris Bryant's first home run in a Rockies uniform!#KBoom pic.twitter.com/s8iyS7vfyY

— RoxGifsVids (@RoxGifsVids) July 6, 2022

Bryant’s battled a back injury on and off throughout his first year in Colorado, and Tuesday night was just his 24th game with the Rockies. It took him 91 at bats to launch his first homer.

Piling on Bryant feels a little bit silly. It’s not like he wants his production to be this bad and is content watching the team lose while barely contributing. But questioning why GM Bill Schmidt gave Bryant the lucrative deal is perfectly fair. He was a huge part of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2016, but that was six years ago.

Bryant, now 30-years-old, has only hit more than 25 home runs in one season since 2018. He’ll be 37 when this deal expires, and his body is already showing signs of not cooperating.

Were Schmidt and owner Dick Monfort desperate to throw big money at Bryant after the organization infamously traded Nolan Arenado and then let Trevor Story walk? Perhaps. Are they also a rudderless ship without a plan? That feels more likely.

Including his signing bonus, Bryant is making a cool $24 million this year. And right now that’s $24 million per home run, with him on pace to hit exactly two of them his first season in Colorado.
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