HOUSTON – On a team full of stars, no player shined brighter than infielder Alex Bregman, who emerged as one’s of the faces of baseball for his exploits this season.
It was a rather modest start for Bregman, who turned 24 on the second day of the season. He hit just .259 and carried an .OPS of just .741 through the first month of the season.
His May showed significant improvement with an .OPS of .861, but still had just five home runs through the first 56 games of 2018.
Then everything changed for Bregman and the Astros. He was arguably the best offensive player in baseball for the next three months, belted 20 homers and posted an .OPS of 1.006. He hit over .300 each month and walked (42) more than he struck out (39).
He also participated in the league’s annual home run derby at the All-Star break in Washington D.C. Despite getting eliminated in the opening round, his home run display captivated the fans, not only because of the drama, but also because of his All-Star teammates Justin Verlander, George Springer, Jose Altuve and Gerrit Cole were backing him very loudly and creating a social media buzz even while he was still at the plate.
A day later, Bregman, in his first All-Star game, would take home MVP honors. His lead-off home run in the 10th inning would help give the American League the win.
Bregman would finish the season second in the majors in extra-base hits with 83, which marks the fifth-highest total in Astros franchise history. He became the first player in Major League Baseball history to collect 50 doubles and 30 homers in the same season while playing the majority of his games at third base.
He is also produced just the fifth season in MLB history with a 50-double, 30-homer season prior to turning 25 years old. The others are Albert Pujols (2003-04), Alex Rodriguez (1996) and Lou Gehrig (1927).
Maybe more importantly than all of that, he made certain the team trying to defend their World Series title, would not feel the pressure of that task, but rather embrace playing the game they love at the highest level.
Bregman was the originator of the Astros dugout stare. The stare took on many forms for Bregman following many of his career-high 31 home runs and once his teammates got involved it truly took on a life of its own.
From limbo contests to bobsled rides to hugs for homer stares, his teammates and the fans embraced it all and have visions of Bregman adding to the legacy of Astros greats for years to come.