Family, friends of Astros and Albuquerque natives Ken Giles and Alex Bregman talk about the World Series
Alex Bregman, Ken Giles play important roles for the Astros as they prepare to face the Dodgers
They took different paths, but Albuquerque’s Alex Bregman and Ken Giles have landed on baseball’s grandest stage, where the Houston Astros will play the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series tonight in Los Angeles.
Bregman, a 23-year-old Albuquerque Academy grad, is the starting third baseman for the Astros.
Giles, a 27-year-old Rio Grande High School graduate, is the Astros’ closer.
Both have played key roles in helping Houston win the American League Championship Series and advance to face the LA Dodgers in the Fall Classic.
But neither took a smooth ride to the top of his sport.
Giles went to two high schools and two colleges. In 2014, his former coach at New Mexico Junior College, Josh Simpson, told the Journal: “He pitched for me for one year and he was awful. I had to get rid of him. He just couldn’t throw strikes.”
In his one season with Simpson in Hobbs, Giles went 0-2 with one save, posted an ERA of 14.29, allowed 18 earned runs, 19 hits, walked 18 and struck out 14 in 11⅓ innings.
“He couldn’t throw strikes,” said Ryan Brewer, co-owner of the Albuquerque Baseball Academy. “Everyone who ever knew him thought that if he could ever put it together he’d be something
special. At some point something clicked and once he figured it out, it was over. He was a big leaguer.
“... Now he’s closing games in the World Series. That’s the beauty of baseball.”
This year with Houston, Giles had a 2.30 ERA with 34 saves to go with 83 strike outs and 21 walks in 62⅔ innings.
Mentally strong
Bregman was seen as a can’t-missprospect from an early age, but a finger injury wiped out most of his entire senior year at Academy and caused him to slip to the 29th round of the 2012 draft, where the Boston Red Sox made him the 901st overall pick. Instead of signing with the Red Sox, he went to play at LSU. Three years later, the Astros picked Bregman second overall.
Bregman reached the majors in July 2015 but went 2-for-38 in his first 10 games.
This year, his first full season in the majors, Bregman hit .294 with 19 home runs, 71 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He also played stellar defense at third.
“Alex Bregman is a self-made man. He made himself a great player because he just worked, baby,” University of New Mexico baseball coach Ray Birmingham said. “He has the greatest mental side I’ve ever seen in a player.
“If you would have said Alex Bregman, physically, would have played in the big leagues, people would have said no. He inspires me, Alex Bregman inspires me with his work ethic.”
Birmingham coached Bregman on the Collegiate National Team in 2014.
Ken Giles’ older brother Josh pitched for Birmingham at NMJC in 2004-05.
“When I knew little Kenny, he was throwing really hard,” Birmingham said. “If he threw a strike, you couldn’t hit him. I thought if someone was patient with him and realized what he had that he would find the strike zone. I knew if he found the strike zone he would pitch in the big leagues.”
Finding his way
It took Giles some time to find the strike zone.
After transferring from Eldorado High School, Giles played his senior year in 2009 at Rio Grande under coach Orlando Griego and helped the Ravens to a district title. That season, Giles was selected in the 44th round of the MLB Draft by the Marlins.
He didn’t sign and instead went to Hobbs where he struggled under Simpson, who is now a scout for the Texas Rangers.
“I’m really happy for him,” Simpson said. “He’s worked really hard to get where he’s at and he’s definitely earned it.”
In 2011, Giles figured something out at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., where he thrived (0.71 ERA, 67 strikeouts, 22 walks, 18 hits in 38 innings).
“Growing up in Albuquerque, you don’t get many opportunities to pitch,” Simpson said. “I think what finally clicked was just time on the mound and continuously working.”
That work led to Giles being selected in the seventh round of the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011.
Giles reached the majors in 2014 and dominated for two years before the Phillies traded him to the Astros. He has saved 51 games, including two in the playoffs, in two years with Houston.
“For me as a child my dream was to play in the major leagues,” Griego said. “When that dream was over for me, my dream was for one of my players to do that. So dreams do come true.
“I don’t know if I played a big part but I know this: I didn’t mess him up.”
Celebration
Saturday night in Houston, Giles and Bregman celebrated on the field with their teammates after the Astros beat the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS to advance to the World Series.
Bregman went 1-for-4 and made a spectacular play to throw out a runner at home plate in Game 7.
“That was the most exciting baseball game I’ve ever seen,” Alex’s father, Sam Bregman, said. “Game 7 is always exciting but words cannot describe how special it is when you love the sport of baseball like I do and your son is playing at the highest level.”
Ken Giles didn’t get in Game 7 but he got the save in Game 1 of the ALCS and finished the Astros’ win in Game 6.
“It’s kind of all fuzzy still, it’s very surreal,” Ken’s father, Glenn Giles, said. “Watching the end of the game and watching the guys celebrate, for me, I was thinking about the bumps in the road for Ken to get where he’s at. The other thought was how special it is to have two 505 guys going to the World Series. That’s special.”
Albuquerque has long been a Los Angeles Dodgers’ town, given its connection to the Dukes. But this duo of local players will have some cheering for the Albuquerque Astros in the World Series.
“I gotta coach my team so I’ll be here with the Lobos but I guarantee we are not practicing during those games, we are locked in,” Birmingham said. “I’ve seen every pitch that Giles has thrown and I’ve seen every minute of every game that Alex has played in. When they won (Game 7 against the Yankees Saturday) I was hooting and hollering. It makes me proud to be a New Mexico baseball guy.
“We have the Dodgers tie, the old Dukes tie and if my boys weren’t on the ’Stros then I would root for the Dodgers. But my boys are on the ’Stros so I’m rooting for the ’Stros.”
Sam Bregman said his family will be in LA today and plans to attend every game of the series.
Griego and Glenn Giles are both planning to go to the games in Houston this weekend (Game 3 Friday, Game 4 Saturday, and, if necessary, Game 5 Sunday.)
“We’ll see what happens,” Glenn Giles said. “For me, I’d love it for the Astros to blow them out. It’d be a lot less stress for me. I think it’s going to be a great series and it’s going to be great for Albuquerque to have these two boys playing in the World Series.”