Alex Bregman just keeps getting better. The 25-year-old phenom is already considered one of the game’s best, and he is showing no signs of stopping. After a breakout season in 2017, Bregman finished 5th in AL MVP voting in 2018, with a .286/.394/.532 slash line, 31 HRs and 103 RBIs. He also had a league high 51 doubles.
How did he respond in 2019? By improving in virtually every offensive category. So far, he is hitting .297 with a .415 OBP, which is the second highest in the AL. He already has career highs in HRs (33) and RBIs (108). Even more impressively, his 12.5% strikeout rate is the 10th best in the MLB (TeamRankings.com).
Bregman greatly strengthened his numbers thanks to a scorching-hot August performance. He slashed .404/.487/.748 with an AL-leading 31 RBIs and 14 doubles (MLB.com). August alone has put him in the thick of the AL MVP race.
His 6.9 WAR and 163 wRC+ trail only Mike Trout in the AL, which should lock him in as the runner up for the MVP. In a universe where Mike Trout does not exist, Alex Bregman has the next best case to take home the 2019 AL MVP. However, this is Trout’s league.