Colorado Rockies: 12 notable quotes from the Kris Bryant presser

4) “I thought, when I was getting drafted, I was going to the Rockies. I definitely had communication with the Cubs but more so with the Rockies … so this has been a long thing kind of brewing … I’ve always said I’ve loved, loved Denver. I love the city. Denver and Salt Lake (City) are two of my favorite cities. I always saw myself living there … The division, being so close to home (Las Vegas), all of that is a plus to me.” – Kris Bryant

Colorado Rockies GM Bill Schmidt has had a relationship with Kris Bryant since he was in high school in the late 2000s in Las Vegas and when Schmidt was the team’s scouting director.

The Blue Jays drafted him out of high school and he didn’t sign since he went to go play in college. In the 2013 MLB Draft, the Rockies had the 3rd overall pick. The Cubs had the second overall pick and went with him. The Rockies, in turn, drafted a right-handed pitcher out of Oklahoma by the name of Jon Gray.

Schmidt scouted Bryant at Double Angel Ballpark in the Denver suburb of Parker “three or four times” when the Rockies were looking at him before the 2013 Draft so the connection goes back a long time. That connection was a big reason why the Rockies and Bryant came together for a deal, which leads into the fifth quote.