Former Houston Astros Fan Favorite Thriving with Boston Red Sox

The Houston Astros struggled out of the gate this year, but have since found their groove. They currently hold a 16-13 record, good enough for second in the American League East, just one game back of the lead.

The sluggish start was due in large part to the offense. The unit failed to find any traction early, and is still one of the worst lineups in the sport with its .662 OPS, ranking 24th in MLB.

That unit took a blow over the offseason with the departure of their long-standing third baseman and fan favorite, Alex Bregman, who now dons a uniform for the Boston Red Sox.

Bregman spent the first nine years of his career with the Astros, to varying levels of success. On the whole, the veteran batted .272/.366/.483 during his tenure in Houston with 191 home runs, 663 RBI, and a 132 OPS+. He was named an American League All-Star twice, won one Gold Glove and one Silver Slugger, and finished top-10 in MVP voting twice.

While Bregman was a superstar during his time with the Astros, the early returns of his tenure with the Red Sox have been even better. Through his first 30 games with his new club, Bregman has batted .331/.401/.570 with six home runs, 23 RBI, and a 172 OPS+. He has been a substantial part of a Boston offense with a team OPS of .757, which ranks fifth in MLB.

In 2019, Bregman's best campaign, he batted .296/.423/.592 with 41 home runs, 112 RBI, and a 162 OPS+. While he may not hit as many home runs this year as he did in 2019, he is on pace to shatter that season's bWAR total (8.9; most in all of MLB) with his current tally of 1.8.

What has been concerning from the superstar, however, has been the decline in defensive production. So far this year, just one season removed from his Gold Glove campaign, Bregman has -2 Outs Above Average. Should that total hold, or even get worse, it would be the first time in his career that he has finished a year with an OAA at third base in the negative.

It has been a fantastic season to this point for Bregman. Now you have to wonder just how much the Houston front office is kicking itself for not bringing the fan favorite back.