Alex Cora Breaks Silence on $120 Million Red Sox Slugger
In MLB, dozens of players across the league always seem to have trouble finding their swing at the plate early on in the season. The same could be said about Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, who, despite having an 11-game hitting streak in April last season with the Houston Astros, has a March/April career OPS of .767. By no standards is that a horrible OPS, but it’s much lower than his career .852 mark.
Bregman is off to a blistering start in the first season of his three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox, slashing .331/.401/.570 with six home runs and a 172 OPS+. On Tuesday, Bregman went 3-for-5 with a solo homer in Boston’s 10-2 win against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Red Sox manager Alex Cora attributes Bregman’s early-season success to the training he did in the offseason. “He [Bregman] worked hard in the offseason,” Cora told Christopher Smith of MassLive. ”
He felt like last year he was off, especially early in the season, swinging more. Swinging at the edges of the strike zone.” Cora believes Bregman’s potential as a dangerous hitter in the middle of Boston’s lineup is not limited to playing home games at Fenway Park, where the pull hitter can utilize the Green Monster in left field for extra-base hits. “He’s a complete hitter and like I said in the (introductory) press conference, it’s more than hitting at Fenway,” Cora told Smith. “This kid, he understands what he needs to do to be successful. And so far, so good.” Bregman has two player opt-outs in his contract with the Red Sox, and there’s a strong possibility Cora and the front office will do their best to convince him to stick around. Especially if the two-time World Series champion with the Astros and 2024 American League Gold Glove Award winner at third base maintains this level of offensive production.