Cubs' Kris Bryant will use demotion as motivation

Chicago Cubs prospect Kris Bryant, who batted .425 with 15 RBIs in spring training, was bothered by his demotion to the minors, but certainly won't let it discourage his major-league aspirations.

"I don't want to say I'm mad or anything, I'm just extremely disappointed," Bryant said Thursday, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. "I wanted my performance to matter, and to me it felt like it didn't matter as much as I thought it would."

Related: Cubs' Lester on Bryant demotion: 'It sucks'

"I'll use this as motivation and fuel the fire." Bryant added. "I've been told a lot in my life I couldn't do it."

The second overall pick in the 2013 draft led all players in spring training with nine home runs. His power is unquestioned as he hit 43 homers last year in the minors. 

Cubs management let him know his spring did not go unnoticed despite the demotion.

"I was told it was a top-two spring training performance, which was cool to hear, there's been a lot of guys in this game; I'm just a rookie trying to make my way there. To hear that is something pretty special to me," he said. 

The Cubs gain an extra year of control by sending Bryant down, which was likely the determining factor in the move, despite Cubs GM Theo Epstein saying otherwise. 

"I'm new to this game," Bryant said. "I'm definitely learning a lot this spring training. I think I've handled it pretty well. I'll let Scott (Boras) do his job, the union do their job and I just do my job on the field. That's all I can control."