January 9, 2020

Houston Astros third baseman/shortstop Alex Bregman was once again one of fantasy baseball’s premier players in 2019. The 25-year-old posted a .296/.423/.592 slash line with 41 home runs, 122 runs scored, and 112 RBI while hitting in the middle of one of baseball’s top offenses. Bregman’s bump in HR and batting average could likely be attributed to an improvement in plate discipline (career-high 17.2% walk rate vs 12.7% career, career-low 12% strikeout rate vs 14.2% career) coupled with a swing adjustment, raising his average launch angle from 16.9 degrees to 19.6 degrees. In a primary position (third base) that currently has five players being drafted in the first 25 picks, Bregman stands above them all; he led the position in OPS, was second in runs scored, and was tied for second in HR in 2019. The only small knock on Bregman is that he won’t necessarily provide much help in the steals department. He was tied for ninth in steals among third baseman, but, as he hits in the middle of one of baseball’s most dangerous offenses, it makes sense that the team wouldn’t be stealing that much. Overall, Bregman is one of baseball’s top players and plays for one of baseball’s best teams. He is currently being drafted as such, going at about pick eight as the first third baseman off the board. Bregman has top-three overall potential in points leagues and is a fabulous first-round pick in any league.--Connelly Doan