An Obvious All-Star

Astros fans have no problem voting for Alex Bregman for the 2018 All-Star game. Although the American League has several hot corner candidates worthy of consideration, the 24-year-old LSU alum is making a strong case for the honor. The third baseman who helped the Astros win the 2017 World Series Championship is on a torrid pace at the plate. 

For the last seven games, Bregman has 4 home runs, 9 RBI, 12 hits, 5 doubles, with a lofty .400/.471/.967 slash line. With 4 walks and an OPS of 1.437, he leads all American League third baseman in all of those categories. 

"The kid is so clutch," wrote Hunter Atkins in the Houston Chronicle on June 27. 

A New Mexico native, Bregman played three years at LSU as a shortstop. The Astros chose him with their first pick in the 2015 amateur draft (2nd overall behind Dansby Swanson) and sent him to the Quad Cities River Bandits (Midwest League, full season Class A.) One month later, he moved up to Advanced-A with the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League, where he spent the rest of his first professional season. For the year, Bregman hit .294 with 4 home runs – with every game at shortstop.

After a 2016 spring training invitation as a non-roster invitee with the Astros, Bregman began the season with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks (Texas League.) He won a Player of the Week honor in April and was named to the mid-season Texas League All-Star team. At Corpus Christi, Bregman played 51 games at shortstop and 13 games at third base. At the time, we were thinking, 'it's about time he played some third,' as there was no question that Bregman would not play shortstop or second base if and when he joined the Astros. After hitting .297 for the Hooks, he was promoted on June 30 to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies.

With Fresno, Bregman played 14 games at shortstop, 3 games in left field, and only 2 at third. His .333 average with 6 homers in only 18 games, convinced Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and the Astros that his fast track through the minor leagues was successful, and on July 25, 2016, rookie Alex Bregman made his first appearance as a Major Leaguer.

His introduction as he walked to the plate at Minute Maid Park sparked a standing ovation from over 30,000 happy Astros fans, and television cameras caught Bregman's parents reacting with surprise at the reception. In the video, you can read Bregman's father's lips as he says, "Oh my God!", and "Look at this! Look at this!"

Despite his limited exposure at third base, he impressed the Minute Maid Park crowd that first night, making a nice play to throw out a runner. As the season went on, it was obvious to all that third base now belonged to the young man from Albuquerque. He played 49 games for Houston, batting .264 with 8 home runs.

The 2017 season saw Bregman off to a slow start, hitting only .256 before the All-Star game, including a dismal .215 in June. To their credit though, the Astros stuck with him, and he responded by hitting .329 in July, .345 in August, ending the season at a solid .284 with 19 homers in 155 games. Although he hit only .208 in the post season, with 4 home runs, including a World Series Game 5 walk-off game winning single, he was a big part of the World Series winning team.

Jumping to 2018, his clutch play in the field and at the plate, including several walk-off hits this season, he is a worthy contender for mid-season honors. At this writing, Bregman stands third in the voting at third base behind Jose Ramirez and Miguel Andujar. Time is running short, and Bregman has a lot of ground to make up to hope for a starting spot, but Astros fans are well justified in voting for him - a clutch performer, and an obvious All-Star. 

Statistics courtesy Baseball-reference.com, MLB.com, & MiLB.com.

Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. His books include: 'Twisted Logic: 50 Edgy Flash Fiction Stories', 'The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories','A Sports Junkie', 'The Avery Appointment', 'Between the Fuzzy Parts'. His books are available in paperback and e-book.

He writes about sports for Season Tickets, food and travel on Miles & Meals, and music/guitars on The Backbeat.

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