Alex Bregman Leads the Next Wave of Houston Astros

Yes.

Alex Bregman -Mandatory Credit: Rich Gill-@QCBanditPhotog

At least there’s not much reason to doubt that he can be.

In 2011 as a junior in high school, Bregman set a New Mexico state record by slugging 19 home runs, and he also hit .678. He played for the 2010 16U USA Baseball Club and hit .564 against top international talent. The following year, Bregman hit .378 for the 2011 18U USA Baseball Club en route to a gold medal.

Early in the 2012 season, Bregman broke his finger prior to a game and was sidelined for most of his senior year.

Despite missing most of that season, Bregman was one of the highest rated hitters coming out of high school but fell in the 2012 draft because of signing concerns. The Boston Red Sox eventually selected him in the 29th round, but he declined and went on to play at LSU for three years.

As a freshman at LSU in 2013, Bregman collected 104 hits, six of them home runs, for a .369 average (via The Baseball Cube) — enough to earn the title of Baseball America’s Freshman of the Year.

In his three years at LSU, Bregman compiled a .337/.409/.514 slash line. For comparison, Dansby Swanson, the only player drafted above Bregman, hit .330/.418/.541 in his time with Vanderbilt.

Only a week removed from the end of his LSU career at the College World Series, Bregman reported straight to Quad Cities after signing his $5.9 million signing bonus with the Astros.

Next: Projecting the Future