The Rise of Alex Bregman

In July of 2015, my dad, brother, and I decided to take a baseball trip to the Midwest. This trip included stops in Cedar Rapids, Burlington, Quad Cities, and Clinton, all which reside in Iowa. The trip itself was unforgettable, with many memories that we all walked away with, but the best part was spending quality time around each other.

As I reflect back on the trip, I begin to realize that the second best part was watching some of the young players that we hear about today.

The date was July 26, 2015, and we had just pulled into Community Field, home of the Burlington Bees. We had arrived very early, so we spent some time walking around and enjoying our time together. Once the gates opened, we located our seats behind home plate, and got up and proceeded to walk around a little more. Not many people were there, and to be quite honest, I’ve seen more people at a high school game. However, the crowd and stadium itself gave us a very “Midwest” feel, and you can’t beat that.

While the starting lineups were being announced, I perked up at the sound of Alex Bregman’s name, who played for the visiting Quad Cities River Bandits. My instant thought was “this is the guy that got drafted after Dansby Swanson.”

Now, don’t get too excited. I knew just how talented Bregman was too. As a matter of fact, I tweeted in June of 2015 about how I thought Bregman would be better, professionally, than Swanson. Stab in the dark, I know.

As the game got underway, I mentioned to my dad and brother about Bregman, who both had heard the name before. We studied him intently throughout the game, almost as if we were scouts ourselves (wouldn’t put it past us). There were two things that stood out to all of us while watching Bregman play, and that was his poised demeanor at the plate and his quick hands at shortstop, which he played very well.

Ever since that baseball game on July 26, 2015, I have wondered just how good this Alex Bregman kid could become. We got lucky to see him play, because the very next day he was called up to Lancaster, the Houston Astros High A affiliate.

From there, Alex Bregman began flying up the ranks, where he would start his 2016 campaign in Corpus Christi, home of Houston’s AA team. After slashing .297/.415/.559 with 14 home runs in just 62 games with the Hooks, Bregman got the call to Fresno, home of their AAA team. His stint would only last 18 games, where we slashed an incredible .356/.397/.685 until he was called to make his big league debut and ride out the last two months of the season.

Now, after just finishing his first full season in the majors, Alex Bregman appears to be on the cusp of stardom.

In this postseason alone, he has hit home runs off the likes of Chris Sale, Kenley Jansen, and Clayton Kershaw. His second one off of Sale was to tie the game in the top of the 8th in Game 4 of the ALDS and a home run off of Jansen in the bottom of the 9th in Game 4 of the World Series.

The postseason stage was set for players like Altuve and Correa, but don't ignore Alex Bregman. He's shown that he won't take no for an answer and won’t live in the shadows of other current superstars.

Bregman's five RBI in the World Series puts him in rare company when you factor in his age. The list of players the same age or younger than Bregman with at least five RBI in a World Series includes Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, and Ty Cobb.

Offensively, Bregman seems to come up big when it's needed the most. Defensively, though, might be where people look back and notice just how good this 23 year old is.

In Game 7 of the ALCS, the third baseman made a beautiful play moving towards home to throw out the Yankees first baseman, Greg Bird, at the plate, preserving a one run lead. Reminiscently, he made a similar play in Game 4 of the World Series to nab Austin Barnes at the plate, keeping the game scoreless in the 6th.

Last night, Alex Bregman capped off a thrilling, 10 inning game with a walk off single into left center, once again coming through for his team and against Kenley Jansen, once more. In a game that had it all—28 hits, 25 runs, seven home runs, and being the second longest World Series game, time wise, ever—it was a moment not even too big for thee Alex Bregman.

Some say that he has too much confidence, he needs to be put in his place, he gloats too much, or that he walks around with too much "swag." Whichever narrative you attach to him, you should take a step back and ask yourself if you truly enjoy watching this sport. Alex Bregman, although not traditional, carries himself in an upbeat, confident way. Maybe he’s a little cocky at times, but he isn't outlandish and you aren't getting anywhere if you don't believe you're the best, and that's how he acts.

Now let me take you back to that hot, July 26th day in 2015, and remind you that, at the very beginning of his professional career, there were signs that pointed towards these very days. No, my dad, brother and I were not the only ones that knew how great he could be, but we witnessed a glimmer of it, and it's now coming to fruition. No matter what happens throughout the rest of this incredible series, we will look back and realize that this was the birth of a superstar in Alex Bregman.