Alex Bregman’s first half had people talking, but the veteran third baseman has spent the second half flattening that conversation.
After a brutal opening stretch, Bregman has ripped off the kind of run that makes his season line look a whole lot more like the player the Cubs expected when he was introduced to the team last January. His second three-homer game of the season came Monday night, and with it came a surge that’s hard to ignore: since the All-Star break, he’s hitting .296/.365/.615 with a 167 wRC+. He has 14 home runs over his last 189 plate appearances.
Zoom out, and the numbers are back in familiar territory. Bregman is now batting .258/.345/.440 with a 119 wRC+ on the season, along with 23 home runs. That’s the version the Cubs were sold on from the start.
And that’s why the Caleb Durbin victory laps from Red Sox fans look so shaky now. While Bregman was scuffling, Boston supporters were quick to point out how smart it looked to replace the All-Star third baseman with Durbin.
At the time, it was easy to see why that argument had traction. But the celebration came early.
Durbin has been solid, not sensational. In 131 games with the Red Sox this season, he’s slashing .253/.327/.390 with a 100 wRC+. He has already passed his rookie home run total with the Milwaukee Brewers, but Bregman’s second-half tear has changed the shape of the discussion.
At this point, the case is straightforward: the team with Bregman at third base is better off, and it really isn’t close anymore.
That doesn’t mean the Red Sox are upset, but the idea that Durbin had suddenly become the better player was always a stretch. And for the Cubs, Bregman’s timing matters. With the playoffs closing in, he’s showing the kind of impact bat that can matter when the games get tighter.
If nothing else, Bregman - along with Pete Crow-Armstrong - could be the sort of hitter the Cubs were missing last October when they ran out of steam against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.
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