Patrick Wisdom Making Run at NL ROY Award

30-year-old rookie Patrick Wisdom is on the cusp of breaking a record for the Chicago Cubs. A record held by a former fan favorite who was an integral piece of the Cubs for six seasons.

That would be Giants third baseman Kris Bryant, who was traded at the July 31 deadline. Bryant set the rookie home run record for the Cubs in 2015 when he hit 26 bombs. Wisdom just hit his 26th last night, a feat that nobody saw coming for the journeyman from Murrieta, California. Bryant and Wisdom met up this past weekend during the Cubs' and Giants' series, where Bryant left some inspiration for Wisdom.

“He said, ‘When you break my record, congrats on everything,’ so that was pretty cool,” Wisdom said to NBC 5 Chicago.

Wisdom was drafted by the Cardinals in the 1st round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but bounced around the minors for 10 years before being called up to Chicago in May. All Wisdom has done is rake, and now he finds himself in the mix for NL Rookie of the Year.

Wisdom, however, faces strong competition from Reds infielder Jonathan India and Marlins All-Star pitcher Trevor Rogers. India has been hot in the second half and is now slashing .272/.378/.843 with 20HRs and 65RBIs. Rogers has seen a dip in performance during his second half but is still is 7-7 with a 2.73ERA and 138Ks.

Should Wisdom win the award, he will be one of the oldest players ever to win it. Sam Jethroe won the award in 1950 at 32 years old while playing for the Dodgers. Regardless, manager David Ross has been very impressed with the way Wisdom has played this season.

"Really proud of how he's worked and kept his cool and through the ups and downs," Ross said. "He’s put together a really nice season and just tied KB for the rookie record of home runs.

"That's pretty good company for a guy that wasn't even on the radar to start the season."