3 Astros players who’ll be better in 2023, and 2 who won’t
By Tim Boyle
Why Astros third baseman Alex Bregman will have a better year in 2023
It was actually a down year for Alex Bregman in 2022. He wasn’t a burden in the lineup. Slashing .259/.366/.454 last year, he added 23 home runs and 93 RBI. It was the kind of year almost any team would hope to get out of their third baseman. Bregman, however, has been much better in past years.
A rough first half helped bring Bregman’s overall season totals down. He hit .238/.356/.408 before the All-Star Break. After, he was a .287/.379/.515 hitter. An insanely hot August is when he took flight. Bregman batted .362/.452/.681 for the Astros in the penultimate regular season month of the year, hitting 7 home runs and driving in 22.
Interestingly, Bregman only hit over .250 in one other month of the season, June. Was it rotten luck? Seasonal allergies?
There isn’t much else Bregman needs to accomplish in the big leagues with a pair of World Series rings already on his fingers. He’ll make more money than ever this season, too. His extension brings his salary up to $30.5 million in each of the next two seasons from the more modest $13 million salary in 2022.
It does feel like another run at an MVP could be in Bregman’s future. His ability to draw walks and avoid strikeouts is a weapon few players have. Look for him to rebound and have an even more powerful season in 2023 with a better batting average to go with it.