Some free agency signings feel like the stars are aligning. The partnership between the Boston Red Sox and Alex Bregman is off to a raucous start.
Through just under 50 games, Bregman ranks second in doubles across all of MLB, fourth in total bases, and his 2.7 bWAR is good for third (tied with KC’s Bobby Witt Jr.). The Sox’s everyday third baseman has also hit 11 home runs — on pace to mash 38 on the season, which would have yielded a top ten finish in 2024. His 171 OPS+ also stands out significantly, placing him yet again among the league’s elite.
It hasn’t all been rosy in the infield, though, and Boston leads the league in errors this year after an often-withering showing in 2024 that was topped only by Miami. Consistently inconsistent defense may just be a pill that Boston has to swallow for the time being given the ongoing hole at first base, for which the Sox haven't found a long-term answer. But the hot corner is firmly Bregman’s domain, even as his own defensive play has added to the Red Sox’s woes at times (behind only Trevor Story on the squad’s error tally).
The batter’s box is certainly where Bregman has done his best work. While there have been plenty of speculative reasons tossed around for his decision to ultimately choose Boston, the player has recently opened up about a few important details that certainly influenced his offseason hunt for a new home. MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN cites Bregman’s unstoppable drive to better himself as a cornerstone of his persona in the park.
“After those [successful] years, it was like, I wanna be better, I wanna be better, I wanna be better, I wanna be better,” Passan reports of Bregman’s attitude.
Alex Bregman signed with Red Sox for the high expectations and proximity to a personal idol
Teaming up with Pete Fatse and the entire hitting unit in Boston has given Bregman plenty to chew on, starting by targeting “a poor setup and load.” Micro-habits had worked their way into his plate approach, throwing off the timing of his hands. In Boston, Bregman’s disciplined training regimen has found a comfortable landing spot, “honestly I feel like this has been the best I’ve hit in my career,” he said. Boston, for Bregman "felt like it was a place I could prove the caliber a player that I believe I am."
It’s not just the coaching staff that ultimately tipped the balance away from Detroit. There’s an undercurrent in the infielder’s game that can’t be discounted. At 5’ 11” and 190 pounds, Bregman isn’t exactly a physical specimen on the baseball diamond. In fact, he’s a closer fit to another Boston legend’s mold than Rafael Devers, the player he was brought in to replace on Boston’s defensive set.
Passan makes a point to note Bregman’s affinity for Dustin Pedroia, specifically “idolizing” the seemingly incongruent overlap between his gigantic work ethic and slight frame. Stop and ask someone on the streets of Boston if Pedroia should be a hall of famer and you’ll hear much of the same drumbeat (a quick poll of family members in Boston, yielded all but one “yes”).
In Bregman’s tenth season, there are a lot of parallels with this hallowed hero. Pedroia was the heartbeat of a Red Sox team in the midst of genuine greatness. For over a decade, Pedey defined Red Sox baseball, and the team has been churning, seeking someone new to resonate as the team’s electrifying pulse in the half-decade-plus since his untimely exit from the game.
Dan Roche at CBS wrote back in February that the Red Sox were bringing in “a proven winner in Bregman, a two-time World Series champ who is a leader with his work ethic, passion for the game, and a competitive fire to win. He’s a lot like Dustin Pedroia in many ways.” Bregman is seemingly striving to live up to that lofty idol’s meteoric example.
Welcome to the “laser show,” Alex.