Sunday, July 24, 2016

Astros call-up Alex Bregman

From this day forward, July 25, 2016, will be known as Alex Bregman Day.

Bregman's call-up has been speculated since after the All-Star break. During the Future Games Bregman came a home run shy of the cycle. Before the second-half of the season got underway Keith Law named Bregman the number one prospect in baseball.

In 80 minor league games this season between AA and AAA he's hit .306/.406/.580. This season he's surprised prospect evaluators with power. He's hit 20 home runs in just 80 games this season. Drafted as a shortstop, Bregman is expected to play third base. Which will shift Luis Valbuena to first base and Marwin Gonzalez back to a utility role.

I thought Bregman would be called up after the trade deadline. He needs a 40-man spot and I figured the Astros would try to clear some space via a trade to avoid having to designate someone for assignment. It appears I was wrong and Danny Worth is the odd man out. To me this signals that the Astros aren't close to any significant trades and feel it's better to add Bregman now than later.

Happy Bregman Day!