Chicago Cubs: How Bregman got his groove back

As recently as July 10, many—if not most—Chicago Cubs fans were decrying the 5-year, $175 million contract given to third baseman Alex Bregman over the offseason. And, really, they weren’t wrong in their complaints.

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The 32-year-old three-time All-Star was slashing .235/.333/.338 with an OPS of .670 and only 7 home runs. The numbers weren’t obscenely awful, but they sure didn’t represent the kind of impact a signing of that magnitude was supposed to generate.

Bregman, himself, was down on Bregman. The former Red Sox and Astros star poured over his old video, looking back as far as his early days in the minors to find some angle to build upon. The veteran is well-known as a perfectionist when it comes to his technique and is said to be downright obsessive in working on even the most minute of details.

But, obviously, this attention to detail has paid off.

Since July 11, Bregman is hitting .312 with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs. His wRC+, which measures a hitter’s total offensive value and how many runs they create per plate appearance, is 180—14 points above anyone else’s in baseball.

How Breggy got his groove back

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The thing that clicked for Bregman was the change of mindset from hyper-focusing on the fails in the here and now to just working on positive change.

“Probably like June, I decided that I don’t really care what my numbers look like,” Bregman told The Athletic. “I care about fixing my mechanics for the rest of my career. I feel like that mentality allows you not to chase hitting seven homers in one at-bat. It allows you to take one at-bat at a time and try and win the next pitch, win the next at-bat.”

“The most important thing for me over the last few months has been the work in the cage,” Bregman added. “The attention to detail of, am I loading correctly? Am I making a good move to hit? I know that if I’m doing that before the game, I’m going to do it in a game.”

Bregman is killing it

On the year, the third baseman is already beyond the power numbers most reasonably expected from him. Currently at 25 homers, he’s one away from his 2024 total tally which, in turn, was the most he had since 2019. His 84 RBIs is the most he’s posted since 2023. And through the early struggles and these latest successes, he’s played elite-level defense at the hot corner and is living up to his rep as a clubhouse leader.

Where there was once loud lamenting from Cubs fandom over four more years of an aging Bregman on the roster, there’s now appreciation and optimism about the immediate future at third base.

The reality is that the Cubs might desperately need their MLB-best offense to get deep into the playoffs if the pitching doesn’t get consistent and stay consistent.

But regardless of what happens in the postseason, Bregman is turning out to be an even better version of himself than anticipated.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-alex-bregman-hottest-hitter/