Alex Bregman's hot August is reason for optimism
Chris Crawford discusses just how good Alex Bregman has been during August and looks at what the strong month means for the rest of the season and his future outlook.
Video Transcript
CHRIS CRAWFORD: If you go all the way back to 2019, Alex Bregman looked like he was on his way to becoming a fantasy superstar after finishing second in MVP voting and registering a sensational 1.015 OPS with 41 homers. Since 2020, Bregman hasn't been close to that level due, in part, to injuries and, in part, to just so-so production with an .806 OPS and 36 total homers. It's a small sample, but the former LSU star has flashed that superstar ability over the last couple of weeks.
In August, Bregman is slashing .357, .439, .686 with five homers in 19 games. That does include a two-homer game against the White Sox and a game Houston put up three touchdowns worth of offense on Thursday, but even without that game, the numbers over the month are outstanding. The approach at the plate for Bregman has always been elite.
He's among the best hitters in baseball in walk percentage, chase rate, and WHIP percentage. He's also deserved better results than his still solid .831 OPS on the season suggest with an expected weighted on-base average of .362 that ranks in the 82nd percentile. Bregman isn't as good as the August numbers suggests and may never be the same player he was to end the previous decade, but there's still plenty of reason for optimism not just to end 2022, but beyond as well.
