Houston Astros: Alex Bregman on the road to becoming the face of MLB
Reason #1: He Was Destined to Be in the Spotlight
If anyone has a background perfect for MLB’s hopes of marketing, then Bregman has the case. One of the things that separate Bregman from so many other players is that baseball was in his DNA. Not to say the others don’t have the same drive, determination, and commitment to the game as Bregman. But if you look into Bregman’s background, the stars seemed to align in making Alex Bregman the player he is now.
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bregman’s grandfather was the general counsel for the Washington Senators (later to be the Texas Rangers), who also signed the legendary Ted Williams to be the manager for the team. He was a batboy for the University of New Mexico Lobos in a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils with future all-star Dustin Pedroia.
He then spent his college ball playing at LSU, a historic program in college, where he was an All-American who guided the #1 ranked Tigers to the College World Series. Then he was drafted by the Houston Astros, where he would spend his minor league days within the organization until he was called up. It took time for him to get going, but once he did, there was no denying his potential for greatness. But even after the 2017 season, where he would be a World Series hero, we didn’t realize how good he would be.
While 2018 ended in heartbreak for the team, it was a perfect stepping stone for Bregman, who went from being a great role player to an All-Star MVP. Batting .286 with 31 homers and 51 doubles, Bregman carried an Astros team to a franchise-best 103 wins despite injuries to Altuve and Carlos Correa. He finished fifth in the MVP voting and was a finalist for Gold Glove Award at third base. He also was invited to compete in the Home Run Derby, where he nearly advanced to the second round.
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In the ALDS, Bregman finished batting .556, who also had an on-base percentage of .714, which is third highest all-time in a division series. Although he struggled in the ALCS, Bregman had put himself on the map as an up and coming star.
It’s safe to say, all things considered, that Bregman was destined to be a superstar. MLB has seen that as he was recently selected to be on the cover of RBI Baseball 19. But MLB can easily have Bregman as the lead guy in an era where baseball is becoming a young man’s game. So many talented players are on the horizon that MLB needs to take note on who has the potential to be great and who doesn’t.
Ok, the first thing MLB needs to do is find the right players to market and brand for the future. However, it’s a two-sided partnership here. If Bregman wants MLB to market him, he needs to put himself out there off the field. So what does he do?