Astros Slugger Hit Milestone Home Run in Victory Over Cardinals on Monday
Alex Bregman has heated up since a slow start.
On Monday he hit his ninth home run of the season in the Houston Astros’ 7-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz also hit home runs.
While Bregman is only batting .229 this season, his home run was his fifth in his last 28 plate appearances.
It also tied him for sixth all-time for home runs in Astros history.
Bregman’s home run was No. 174 for his career, which started in 2016 when Houston called him up from Triple-A.
George Springer, who was an outfielder for the Astros from 2014-2020, also hit 174 home runs with Houston before he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2021 season.
With his next home run, Bregman will move into sixth place by himself, but he has a ways to go to catch the rest of the list — assuming he remains with the Astros past this season.
Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell is the franchise’s all-time leader with 449 home runs. After that is Lance Berkman (326), then another Hall of Famer in Craig Biggio (291). Jim Wynn had 223 home runs while Bregman’s teammate, Jose Altuve, has 218.
Bregman’s future in Houston is cloudy.
The 2015 first-round pick out of LSU has been a part of two World Series championship teams and a cornerstone of the team’s incredible run since 2017, which has included an appearance in nothing worse than the American League Championship Series.
The 30-year-old has been a two-time All-Star, an All-Star Game MVP and a Silver Slugger.
But he’s also entering the final year of his contract with the Astros.
After this season he can enter free agency for the first time. Houston locked him up with a $100 million extension before the 2020 season.
With the Astros trying to play their way back into contention in the American League West and the Wild Card race, they may face some critical decisions about Bregman’s future with the team.
He could be a valuable asset in trade to a contender — if Houston isn't contending themselves.
The Astros have not made Bregman an extension offer. But his place in team history is etched either way.
MATTHEW POSTINS
Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He also covers he Big 12 for Heartland College Sports.