Red Sox Manager Envisions Former Houston Astros Third Baseman at Different Position

Former Houston Astros bench coach and the current Boston Red Sox manager envisions a potential future position change for a Gold Glove third baseman.
Oct 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third base Alex Bregman (2) warms up before game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park
Oct 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third base Alex Bregman (2) warms up before game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
In this story:

Alex Bregman debuted for the Houston Astros on July 25, 2016, playing in 49 games that seasons with 40 of them coming at third base.

In the eight years since, Bregman has played in 1,062 regular season games, and 955 of them have come at the hot corner.

The veteran has been one of the more solid defenders at the position, totaling 28 Outs Above Average throughout his career per Baseball Savant.

Now a free agent, and unlikely to return to the Astros, the loudest of rumors of late have Bregman taking his talents up north and joining the Boston Red Sox.

The manager of the Red Sox, Alex Cora, is all too familiar with Bregman and what he is able to do at the plate and in the field thanks to their time together in Houston during 2017.

In a recent interview with NESN, Cora was asked about Bregman and what he would do for Boston should they add him.

"I cannot go into specifics for the free agent," Cora began. "He is a pull-hitter that puts the ball in play and he's a good defender."

Bregman won the first Gold Glove of his career in 2024, on the strength of six Outs Above Average on 441 fielding attempts.

"The intangibles are the intangibles," Cora continued. "The kid is a winner. Since LSU, all the way to the Astros."

Bregman helped lead the Astros to two World Series Championships during his tenure with the club, one in 2017 and the most recent in 2022.

While the praise rained down for the veteran third baseman from Cora, the manager made one comment that could have hinted at a potential position change for Bregman should he sign with Boston this winter.

"Rafael Devers is our third baseman. You know, Alex was a Gold Glover at third base, and we all know that. But in 2017, I had a conversation with him. He needed to play third because of [Carlos] Correa and [Jose] Altuve. I always envisioned Alex as a Gold Glover second baseman. His size, the way he moves, it felt like, 'you will be a second baseman.'"

It is an interesting thing to think about.

Bregman played shortstop for the LSU Tigers in college and continued to play that position until reaching Triple-A in 2016 where he played his first games at third base.

It is hard to think of him as anything but a third baseman, but with what he has done at the hot corner, it should be a smooth transition to second base that could prove Cora right in his assessment.


Published