Alex Bregman Looking Forward to ‘Healthy Pressure’ in New Chapter with Cubs

Alex Bregman is viewed as the consummate baseball professional, a supremely talented player who embraced the grind from an early age and has gone from brash phenom to respected veteran. He’ll reach 10 years of service time, a huge milestone for MLB players, during his first go-round with the Cubs and 11th overall after tenures with the Astros and Red Sox. You’d think the start of the season would just be business as usual by now, but Bregman still gets just as excited as he did when he was an up-and-comer.

“The Opening Day jitters?” Bregman quipped to reporters before the Cubs’ final spring game. “Oh yeah. I feel like when you lose that, it’s time to hang them up. For me, every Opening Day, there’s still good nerves, good excitement. Obviously, this being a new chapter, too, in my career, it’s going to be some good excitement and nerves as well.”

That reminds me of a conversation I had with a tattoo artist in Moreno Valley, CA, several years ago. I was asking about his craft and whether he continues to improve and evolve with it, and he told me the day he stops getting better is the day he quits. Athletic endeavors are a bit different when it comes to getting better with age, at least at a certain point, and the 32-year-old (on March 30) Bregman figures to be on the downside of his prime years.

The Cubs were aware of that when they signed him to one of the largest contracts in club history, but they believe his intangibles will more than make up for any incremental statistical erosion. That’s why I immediately likened his signing to that of Jon Lester, another gritty winner who elevated the Cubs in a way that couldn’t be quantified statistically.

“He’s very serious about his craft,” Jed Hoyer said. “He’ll have a huge impact… and I think his presence … will be additive to all of our processes.”

While money was obviously a huge part of what drew Bregman to the Cubs, he and his wife, Reagan, were blown away by the organization’s commitment to family. With two young boys, they wanted a place where they could “put down some roots” in a place they could really call home. And for a baseball junkie who has experienced the Cubs from afar and as a visiting player, the chance to play in Chicago was a major factor in his decision.

“I almost can’t believe how lucky I am right now, to be honest with you,” Bregman wrote in an essay for The Players’ Tribune. “Playing in Wrigley is going to be so fun! It’s basically like getting to play our game on baseball holy ground.

“Growing up in New Mexico, I have these vivid memories of watching tons of Cubs games on WGN. When I was little, Sosa and McGwire were going back and forth in the home run race, and that was must-see TV for me.”

Look, we can all understand that there’s going to be a non-zero amount of pandering in any kind of piece like this. Bregman is ingratiating himself with his new fanbase, just as any other big-time player would at the outset of a new contract. But when you read about his son’s new friendship with Pete Crow-Armstrong, or you see the picture of Bregman playing for the Cubs in his local Little League, you understand that he’s being sincere.

Though it’s not nearly at the same level as you see in St. Louis, Cubs fans can get a little self-congratulatory at times. The flip side is that detractors will say people only show up to Wrigley for an overpriced bleacher beer or five. The truth is that the fans do really care and can make a difference. Just look at how Freddy Peralta got so rattled during the NLDS that he had to be traded out of the league.

For the record, I think pitching in front of a packed house at Wrigley will do wonders for Edward Cabrera after several seasons with the Marlins. There can be a downside to that as well, especially if players stray from their process by pressing to please those on the outside with results. That’s where a guy like Bregman can be so beneficial. He’s played on the biggest stage several times, and he’s come out a winner more than once.

“For me, that passion [from the fans] results in something that I believe to be extremely positive and important: a healthy pressure,” Bregman continued. “Every game matters to fans like that, whether it’s the first game of the season, or the 142nd game in August, or the last game of the World Series. So there’s a healthy pressure there, and it keeps you going, keeps you giving your all, even when you may be dead tired or a little dinged up.”

Buckle up, Cubs fans, having Bregman on board could be a real turning point. Oh, I agree, Pat.