April 21--PITTSBURGH -- Kris Bryant admits he's a "city boy," and not a "farm boy."
Nevertheless, the Chicago Cubs' phenom enjoyed filming a commercial last Tuesday -- three days before he made his major league debut.
Bryant emphasized he filmed the commercial, which took place on a farm and featured him petting a goat and trying to milk a cow, on the same day his scheduled game for Triple-A Iowa was rained out at New Orleans.
"We did have a game that day, but it got rained out so it worked out perfectly," Bryant said of the filming, which was conducted in the morning and took about five hours. "It didn't affect my baseball skills."
Bryant described the filming with the Red Bull energy drink company as "kind of bang-bang and happened very quick. I think it turned out funny. It's something I enjoyed."
Bryant, a native of Las Vegas, said he never had been around a goat or a cow.
"My emotions were very much on point," Bryant said. "I had no clue what I was doing."
Bryant got a laugh when the goat ran around after it no longer was protected from the rain by an umbrella.
"It was hard to keep him by my side," Bryant said. "It was very funny."
Bryant understands the obligations he has with the companies he's signed contracts with, which include Adidas and Rawlings.
"You sign these contracts, you use these people's equipment," Bryant said. "They want to broadcast you. They're proud of it, and I'm proud I'm with a brand that works with me like that.
"In terms of a target on my back, if I go about things the right way, then I'll earn that respect, and that's all I ever want.''
Bryant doesn't mind the scrutiny, which stems from his top billing at the University of San Diego and in the minors.
"I think it comes with the territory, but I wouldn't want it any other way," Bryant said. "You try to go out there and do things the right way, on and off the field. You try to get better every day, and I think these special things that come along with it are just icing on the cake. I am focused on what I have to do here. Those things are just a thing on the side.''
During spring training and before his major league debut, Bryant signed many autographs. He recalled his days attending baseball games as a youngster and the array of reactions when players would either sign or decline to sign autographs for him.
"I like to give people that respect," Bryant said. "They're watching you play, and that's a small thing I can do for them.''
Bryant wasn't aware of his Adidas billboard adjacent to Wrigley Field until a teammate notified him. The billboard was posted shortly after he was sent to the minors in a controversial decision March 30.
"I had some photos in spring training, and they could use me the way they wanted," Bryant said. "I had no clue. Anthony (Rizzo) texted me with a selfie with the billboard, and well, that's pretty cool. It was funny."
Manager Joe Maddon couldn't recall a player becoming the centerpiece of a commercial before he made his major league debut, but he sensed that Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays could have received the same attention had he played for an organization in a larger market.
"It's a mater of where you're potentially going to exist that breeds the hype prior to it," Maddon said.
