Forward thinking
As student of game, Bregman constantly striving to improve
Alex Bregman isn’t just a baseball player. The Astros infielder is a student of the sport.
Now 23, he can remember being glued to any baseball game he could watch as a 5-year-old. He studied each pitch thrown and absorbed what the hitter did on every one, looking at stances, situations and how the defense played the at-bat. He constantly yearned for more baseball. Now, as he and his team prepare for the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, nothing has changed with
Bregman’s approach to the game.
When he isn’t playing baseball, he’s watching it, constantly trying to learn and grow. And it shows.
Bregman was one of the heroes Monday in Game 4 in the Division Series against the Red Sox, homering off Chris Sale in the eighth inning at Fenway Park to tie the game. The Astros went on to win, advancing to a championship series for the first time since 2005.
The home run was literally a dream come true for Bregman. In a first-person account for Yahoo Sports, he said he’d often imagine himself hitting a clutch home run at Fenway.
“Want to know the biggest difference between when you imagine these things as a kid and when it really happened in Game 4?” Bregman wrote for Yahoo. “The crowd didn’t go wild. Not at Fenway Park. They were dead silent.
“I could hear the steps I was taking on the dirt it was so quiet.”
The home run was a game-changer. After Bregman tied it, Evan Gattis singled. George Springer walked. Then Josh Reddick’s RBI single off Craig Kimbrel gave the Astros the lead for good in a 5-4 victory. Viral image
To say Bregman was excited would be an extreme understatement. A GIF of his celebrating went viral that day. He was holding on to a rail in the dugout, head pointed at the sky, and screaming.
The image makes him laugh.
“Yeah,” he said. “I was pumped up.”
Bregman is achieving a lot at a young age, and with his skill set and knowledge, he will be around the game a lot longer and have the opportunity to accomplish a lot more.
For now, his sights are set solely on winning with the Astros.
The second overall pick in the 2015 draft, Bregman has brought a lot to the table since moving up to the majors in July 2016.
“He’s such a good player and another personality that is unique in our clubhouse,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s willing to learn and willing to change and willing to grow, and that does not come easy, especially for young players coming up and everything you ask is still an adjustment at this level.”
Bregman is always at the ballpark. Before each game, he arrives really early. He likes to spent extra time watching film of the opponent.
Then he meets a few other players to eat breakfast or lunch in the clubhouse and play cards while discussing the upcoming game.
He hits the weight room after that, then batting practice.
“It’s always the same,” Bregman said. “That’s my routine before every game.”
He also spends a lot of time talking to his teammates. He says his Spanish is pretty good, and that’s how he and fellow infielders Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel communicate most of the time. Grilling the vets
Bregman has relished picking the brains of the veteran players around him, like Reddick, who has the locker next to his. He also has chatted frequently with Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Justin Verlander.
“I feel like I can learn something from everyone,” Bregman said. “And I love doing that. I love learning more about the game, figuring out ways I can be better.”
He apparently figured out some ways as this season went along. After posting a .256/.338/.419 slash line with eight home runs and 27 RBIs in 84 games before the All Star break, Bregman hit .315/.367/.536 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs over 71 games in the second half.
Being a student of the game is as important to Bregman as being a player. He has always paid closer attention, always wanted to know more.
And that part of his love for baseball won’t go anywhere. He’ll never stop studying this sport.
“I think that’s one of the things I love to do, just to learn and try to take ideas from everybody and try to apply them to my game. So I study the team and how the opponent is trying to attack us and figure out a plan to try to beat them,” Bregman said.
“It’s really fun for me. I’ll always want to keep learning. I’ll always want to know more.”