NEW YORK — Alex Bregman wasn’t getting the results he wanted, so the Astros third baseman went searching for answers. After two years of subpar numbers — the result of inconsistent mechanics following a series of injuries — Bregman took drastic steps this year to put his body and his swing in the proper position to return to the All-Star form he had in 2018 and ’19.
Bregman, who finished second to the Angels’ Mike Trout in the 2019 American League MVP race, was slowed by a hamstring injury in ’20 and a quad injury last year. He also wound up having postseason surgery to fix a right wrist injury that was making it hard for him to grip the bat. His performance at the plate suffered, but his confidence never did.
“I’ve always felt confident,” Bregman said. “Even when the swing wasn’t going the way I wanted it to early in the year, I felt confident that I can get it where I want to get it and play at an elite level.”
Bregman’s goal was to improve his physical shape to try to prevent further injuries. He also added some batting drills midseason to help remind him of his swing mechanics and how to replicate them. He responded with a monster second half: He posted a 1.133 OPS with seven homers and 22 RBIs in August and he carried it over in the postseason, slashing .318/.375/.636 in five Astros wins between the AL Division Series and the AL Championship Series
Bregman hit a key three-run homer in the Astros’ 3-2 win over the Yankees in Thursday’s Game 2 of the AL Championship Series at Minute Maid Park.
“Personally, I feel like — when I’m mechanically right, I feel like one of the best players in the world,” said Bregman, who played in 155 games this year. “When I’m not, I feel like it’s more of a grind, more of a battle. … For the last four months, I’ve been mechanically right, and I’ve been able to play at a high level.”
Here’s a closer look at what Bregman did to regain his form:
In addition to working with the Astros strength and conditioning coaches, Bregman’s camp sought further help. He reached out to Alex Guerrero, the long-time trainer for legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, prior to the season to find out what Brady does to stay on top of his game.
“We talked to him and just said, ‘Hey, what do you guys do to stay healthy for so long?’” Bregman said. “And we started to incorporate that.”
After breakfast each morning, Bregman does deep-tissue work on his lower body. When he gets to the ballpark each day, he does high-intensity band work with the Astros strength and conditioning coaches to activate the different muscles he’s going to use in-game.
“And that is kind of like my, ‘Okay, body, time to turn the on switch on,’ and then we do a lot of isometric work as well for the hamstring, quad, the hip complex,” Bregman said. “And then after the game, we do more of a calm-down tissue work on the body. I feel fantastic. Never felt better. Honestly.”
Bregman’s body felt terrific heading into the season, but he was slashing .238/.356/.408 with 11 homers and 46 RBIs at the All-Star break (a .764 OPS). In July, he began working with hitting coach Troy Snitker on pregame drills to harness the correct mechanics — specifically lower body mechanics. They started the day after the All-Star break when they determined what his miss was.
“We started to really notice that when I landed correctly [with his front foot] and had gotten to the ground correctly, I was able to stay closed and not spin off the ball,” Bregman said.
Bregman and Snitker do a series of drills in the cage before they come out for batting practice to reinforce the mechanics of his swing and the position he wants his feet to land in. When Bregman comes out onto the field for BP, he tries to replicate those drills to make sure he not only has the correct swing mechanics but also is able to hit all different types of pitches to different locations.
“It’s been a good second half,” said Bregman, who posted an .894 OPS after the All-Star break. “I think the damage has gone up, which is what we wanted. And the swing decisions have been good all year. They’ve been good for the majority of my time here, but I think the biggest thing is when I’m mechanically sound with good swing decisions, I think that produces a high OPS.”