Alex Bregman

BIOGRAPHY

Alex Bregman was born March 30, 1994, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a third baseman in the MLB.

As a high school sophomore at Albuquerque Academy in 2010, Bregman became the first high school player to win the USA Baseball Player of the Year Award. As a junior the following year he batted .678 while setting a New Mexico season record with 19 home runs. In three years of college baseball for Louisiana State University (LSU), Bregman was voted the 2013 National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America, won the 2013 Brooks Wallace Award as the country's best college shortstop, and was a two-time All-American. Toward the end of his junior year of college, he was selected by the Houston Astros with the second pick in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft.

Bregman made his MLB debut in July 2016. He started 2017 as the youngest member of Team USA, which won the gold medal in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and ended the season winning the 2017 World Series with the Astros. He was named MVP of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game and led the American League in doubles in 2018. In 2019 he was again an All-Star, led the AL in walks and WAR, and received the 2019 American League Silver Slugger Award at third base.

Bregman was a major force for the Astros throughout the 2017 postseason. His home run off of Chris Sale, his second off of Sale in the series, in the 8th inning of Game 4 of the ALDS tied the game 3-3 and jump-started the Astros' rally that led them to a 5–4 win over the Red Sox and propelled them to their first appearance in a Championship Series since 2005. Bregman also showcased his defensive skills throughout the postseason, but especially during the ALCS against the Yankees. In Game 7, with the Astros up 1–0 with Yankees on first and third in the top of the 5th, Bregman threw out Greg Bird at home on a chopper to third off of the bat of Todd Frazier to help preserve the lead. It helped lead the Astros to a 4–0 victory in the pennant-clinching game.

Bregman would once again throw out a runner at home from third base in Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he gunned down Austin Barnes at the plate in the top of the 6th inning to preserve a scoreless tie. Bregman also homered off of Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the 9th, but the Astros ultimately fell 6–2. His biggest contribution came during Game 5 when, after a back-and-forth game in which the Astros came back from two separate 3-run deficits, Bregman hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning off Jansen to give the Astros a 13–12 victory and a 3–2 series lead. It was Bregman's first career walk-off hit. He became the second player to drive in a run in each of his first five World Series games, joining Amos Otis. The series lasted seven games, and the Astros won the World Series for the first time ever. Bregman finished his first postseason with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs.

Batting .284 with 17 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 29 doubles, he was named to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. Bregman was also selected to participate in the 2018 Home Run Derby. After he hit a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning off of Ross Stripling, he was named the Astros' first All-Star Game MVP.

He received the 2019 American League Silver Slugger Award at third base, as the best offensive player in the league at the position. Bregman came in second in the vote for 2019 American League Most Valuable Player, with 335 points (13 first-place votes, and 17 second-place votes) as winner Mike Trout garnered 355 points (17 first-place votes, and 13 second-place votes), with the two players being listed first and second on every ballot. He was voted 2019 All-MLB Team Second Team.

In 2022, Bregman batted .259/.366/.454 in 548 at bats with 93 runs (5th in the AL), 38 doubles (10th), 23 home runs, 93 RBIs (8th), 87 walks (2nd), and 7.1 at-bats-per-strikeout (9th), while leading the AL with 10 sacrifice flies. He led the AL in lowest percentage of balls outside the strike zone swung at (21.8%), and was 3rd in the AL in BB/SO ratio (1.13). On defense, he led all AL third basemen in assists, and was second in putouts, double plays, and fielding percentage (.983). He was named a finalist for the 2022 Silver Slugger Award (3B).

Bregman ended the season 8th on the Astros' all-time career list in hit by pitch (45), 9th in home runs (140) and extra base hits (359), and 10th in doubles (204). He was 10th among all active ballplayers in career on base percentage (.375).

During the 2022 ALDS, Bregman batted .333/.375/.600 with one home run and three RBIs in 15 at bats. In the 2022 American League Championship Series, he batted a nearly identical .333/.375/.600 with one home run and four RBIs in 15 at bats. He hit his 14th career postseason home run in Game 2 of the 2022 ALCS to move past Justin Turner for most by a third baseman; his 43 career RBIs in the playoffs set a record as the most all-time by a third baseman.

In the second game of the World Series, Bregman hit a home run, setting the record for the most career World Series home runs by a third baseman, at six, in his 22nd career World Series game. It was also his 15th career postseason home run, tying him with Babe Ruth. The Astros won the World Series, defeating the Philadlphia Phillies in six games, as Bregman earned his second World Series ring.