Astros: ESPN Top 100 Ranking Reaction

Alex Bregman

Rank: #13  (2020- #12) 

Alex Bregman finished last season hitting .242 and just never could find power at the plate once he came back from the IL. But Bregman is still one of the three best defensive third baseman in the game and is only a year move from finishing second in MVP in 2019. He’s only 27 years old and expect a few more 2019-like seasons from the kid.

Verdict: JUST RIGHT

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I personally think he’s belongs in the top 10, but he didn’t have a good enough 2020 to justify it. I actually feel like ESPN is being very generous with the Bregman ranking. This list has Bregman ahead of guys Matt Chapman (#29), Jose Ramirez (#17), and Anthony Rendon (#15), all uber-talented third baseman who could win the MVP any season. It seems like Bregman’s 2019 campaign seems to still have weight with baseball guys.

A stat to watch with Bregman is his hard-hit rate (percent of balls hit that exit at 95 MPH or higher). From 2016-2019, Bregman had a hard-hit rate of 43% that was trending upwards to the 45-50% range. However, Bregman dropped last year all the way down to 33%. If that percentage gets back up to 40-45% early on in the season, that should be a good sign that the old Alex Bregman is back.

Should Be: 11-20