Cubs' three-time All-Star gives blunt critique on his play

cubs/news/cubs-three-time-all-star-gives-blunt-critique-his-play/6a186631ef27a1ae1042e6ed?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=appeared_on">Cubs’ three-time All-Star gives blunt critique on his play originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman has not had the great year he would have liked to have had after signing his lucrative contract in the offseason (five years, $175 million). 

Struggling in June — the three-time All-Star is batting .083 with one double, three walks and five strikeouts in 24 at-bats — Bregman gave an honest assessment about his play after Sunday’s extra-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants (final in 10 innings, 2-1). 

Chicago Cubs Alex Bregman says he has been “terrible” and “hasn’t executed all year”

“I’ve been terrible,” Bregman said to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “I need to play better. Offensively, it’s been awful. I’ve failed many times in this game. I’ve struggled. I’ve started slow before. I’ve started fast before. When you’re struggling, there is only one way forward and that’s straight, head-on through it. It comes down to executing in the game.”

Rogers added: “I haven’t executed all year,” Bregman said. “Runners in scoring position, I’ve been god-awful. I need to be better. If I’m better over the last how many games, we probably win the majority of them.”

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In the loss to the Giants, Bregman went 0-for-5 and made the last out. Bregman added how he hasn’t executed with runners in scoring position, leading MLB with 143 runners left on base. 

“I haven’t executed all year,” Bregman said to Rogers. “Runners in scoring position, I’ve been god-awful. I need to be better. If I’m better over the last how many games, we probably win the majority of them.”

For as poor as the two-time World Series winner says he has been playing, it isn’t for a lack of opportunities to succeed, leading the National League in at-bats (263). Bregman’s power has also been nonexistent, posting five home runs on the season and has none so far this month. 

The place where Bregman can continue to hang his hat is his defense. The Gold Glove winner (2024) continues to prove he is one of the best defensive third basemen, with an above-average defensive runs saved (seven). 

In contrast, Bregman’s power has decreased over the past few seasons. The former Silver Slugger went from 12 to 26 between 2021 and 2024, then dropped to 18 last season. Bregman’s on-base percentage has decreased while his strikeouts have increased, posting a .367 OBP in April to having a .185 OBP this month (.327 overall). 

After winning 10 straight games (April 28 to May 8), the Cubs have fallen off a cliff — the Cubs are 7-19 since the winning streak, including two losing streaks of four-plus games (May 9 to 13 and May 16 to 26). In a race to make the playoffs for the second straight season, for the first time since 2017 and 2018, getting Bregman back on track will help reduce the 7.5-game deficit they created for themselves. 

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