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Ranking the Six Houston Astros That Fans Should be Most Thankful For
By Alec Brown
3) A Healthy Alex Bregman
When Alex Bregman is healthy, very, very few hitters in the world are capable of what he can do at the plate. He racked up a .926 OPS in 2018 and a 1.015 in 2019. Bregs combined for 72 home runs, 88 doubles, 215 RBI and 215 walks.
Injuries plagued his 2020 and 2021 seasons, regressing from perennial MVP candidate to above-average hitter. The cage rat constantly made mechanical adjustments throughout the season, including training with Tom Brady's PT, leading to his best season since 2019.
He was rewarded with an American League Player of the Month in August after hitting .362 with seven home runs and an 1.133 OPS. He followed that month with a dominant postseason, hitting .294 with three home runs, 11 RBI and a .948 OPS. After his torrid playoff performance, Bregman is now the MLB's all-time leader in postseason home runs by a third-baseman.
It's no surprise the Astros won the World Series in 2022 after going home in 2021. Bregman's injury woes were too much to overcome in 2021, going 2-21 against Atlanta and getting dropped in the lineup on a team desperate for offense.
With his health, mechanics and swagger back, Bregman regained form and the Astros are back on top of the baseball world. Breggy, we're thankful you're here and we're thankful you're all the way back.