Alex Bregman, Infield, Houston Astros, #2


Date of Birth: 3/30/1994
Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico
College: Louisiana State University

Alex Bregman, infielder for the Houston Astros, started on the road to a baseball career at the age of four when he started playing tee-ball. In his first game, he had a rare accomplishment - he made an unassisted triple play. He continued to excel as a player in his teens in high school, batting .678 in 2011, his junior year.

Bregman was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2012 but he opted instead for college. He excelled again at LSU, batting .369 with 104 hits in 2013. That year, he had a 23 game hitting streak and he won the Brooks Wallace award as the best college shortstop.

The Astros drafted Bregman in 2015. After just one year in the Astros' minor league system, he was called up in 2016. In 49 games with the Astros, he batted .264 with 53 hits, 13 doubles, 8 triples, 34 RBIs, and 52 strikeouts to 15 walks. He hit his first major league home run on August 16th. Defensively, as the Astros' third baseman in 40 games, he made 80 assists, 28 putouts, and 8 errors. He also played in 80 games in the minors in 2016.

Bregman had a strong first full season in the majors in 2017. He batted .284 with 158 hits, 39 doubles, 19 home runs, 17 stolen bases, 71 RBIs, and 97 strikeouts to 55 walks in 155 games. Defensively, as the Astros' third baseman in 132 games, he made 241 assists, 28 double plays, 86 putouts, and 10 errors.

Bregman also had a good postseason in 2017. In 72 at-bats in 18 games, he had 15 hits, including 4 home runs and 3 doubles, 10 RBIs, and 1 stolen base. His first postseason hit was a home run in Game 1 of the American League Division series. He had a game tying home run in the 8th inning of Game 4. In the first game of the World Series, he had a 4th inning home run off Clayton Kershaw to tie the game at 1-1. He gave the Astros their first RBI in Game 2. In Game 4, he hit a home run in the 9th inning to give the Astros a 6-2 lead and he drove in the winning run in the 10th inning of Game 5.

Bregman had another strong season in 2018, batting .286 in 157 games. He led MLB in doubles with 51, and he was seventh in OPS (.926) and walks (96). He finished the season with 170 hits, 31 home runs, 10 stolen bases, 103 RBIs, and 103 strikeouts to 96 walks. Defensively, as the Astros' third baseman in 136 games, he made 245 assists, 84 putouts, and 13 errors. He played well in the postseason also, finishing with 7 hits, including 2 doubles and 2 home runs, 5 RBIs in 24 at-bats in 8 games, and a .292 batting average. He walked 11 times and struck out only 4 times.

Bregman signed a six-year, $100 million contract extension with the Astros on March 22, 2019. He earned his money in 2019, with a .296 batting average, 164 hits, 37 doubles, 41 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 83 strikeouts to 119 walks in 156 games. He won his first Silver Slugger award in 2019, and he led all major league players in walks. Defensively, as the Astros' third baseman in 99 games, he made 164 assists, 66 putouts, and 8 errors. He also played 65 games at shortstop. In the postseason, e had 15 hits, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, 1 stolen base, 13 strikeouts to 12 walks, and a .234 batting average in 64 at-bats in 18 games.

Bregman won the All-Star Game MVP award in 2019.

Bregman played in 42 games in 2020. He finished the season with 37 hits, 12 doubles, 22 RBIs, 26 strikeouts to 24 walks, and a .242 batting average. Defensively, he played all 42 games at third base. In the postseason, he batted .220 with 11 hits and 2 RBIs in 50 at-bats in 13 games.

Bregman spent time on the IL in 2021. He finished the season with 94 hits, 17 doubles, 55 RBIs, 53 strikeouts to 44 walks, and a .270 batting average in 91 games. In the postseason, he had 13 hits, 1 home run, and 7 RBIs in 60 at-bats in 16 games.

Career batting statistics for Bregman through 2021 include:

  • 650 games played
  • 676 hits
  • 169 doubles
  • 117 home runs
  • 397 RBIs
  • 396 strikeouts to 353 walks
  • .281 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Bregman at third base through 2021 include:

  • 539 games played
  • 960 assists
  • 346 putouts
  • 49 errors
  • .964 fielding percentage

Personal Life

Bregman's grandfather was a lawyer for the Washington Senators in the late 1960s. He helped the team negotiate its move to Texas, where it transformed itself into the Texas Rangers.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Alex Bregman
MiLB - Alex Bregman
ESPN - Alex Bregman