#86: Bregman Isn't Made for Wrigley, but Plum is Made for Unrivaled

When Alex Bregman entered the home run derby in 2018 and 2019, I couldn't help but chuckle.

No, it wasn't because I had anything against him, but it was because he wasn't your prototypical home-run hitter.

His swing was always one that was on an even plane, benefitting from his home ballpark in Houston and their Crawford Boxes in right field. He had line-drive power and his home ballpark maximized his swing and power output.

When he went to Boston last year, Fenway Park was the other ballpark that would highlight his strengths offensively, given the Big Green Monster in right field.

So, when Bregman hit free agency this year, I was very curious as to where he would land. He's played 10 years in the big leagues (somehow), and he's yet to play in a home ballpark that will challenge him.

Until now.

When Bregman signed his five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs this weekend, I had two thoughts:

1. The Red Sox ruined their relationship with Rafael Devers because they brought Bregman in for one season.
2. I'm definitely going to be writing about Bregman as a bust this year for fantasy baseball purposes.

Here's what a typical spray chart looks like for Bregman throughout his career. This one is from 2023 in Houston.

Bregman is a pure pull hitter. The average across the league among all hitters is a 37.4 percent pull rate, meaning that's how often a hitter will pull the ball (right-handers to left field and left-handers to right field).

Here's how Bregman stacks up throughout his career.

Does it help to see a visual?

We love visuals.

Here are all of his batted-ball results during his MLB career.

Over the last three years, Wrigley Field has been the second-worst ballpark for right-handed hitters, per Baseball Savant Statcast Park Factors. His previous homes, meanwhile, both rank inside the top 15, with Fenway Park coming in at No. 6.

Bregman, 31, does a great job of squaring up the ball, but his exit velocity and his hard hit rate are below average. What's more, as he ages, he's going to continue to pull the ball even more, meaning there's little improvement coming from him.

(A good note is that with Bregman signing with Chicago, ultra-MAGA third baseman Matt Shaw will be a utility player).

While he'll join legends like Nomar Garciaparra, Jon Lester, Fergie Jenkins, and Jimmie Foxx as players who have played for both the Red Sox and the Cubs, his most productive years will be behind him – at least offensively.

Get that bag, Alex, but if you want to get that bag as a fantasy player, you'll fade him while he's in Chicago.

Kelsey Plum was Made for Unrivaled

*Editor’s note: this post was made before Dearica Hamby balled the hell out and scored 40 points Sunday night.

When Unrivaled started last season, it was exciting to see that Kelsey Plum was going to be a part of the inaugural season.

But then, she pulled out after, well, a year from hell for her on the personal side of things.

So when we got word that Plum was officially joining Season 2 of Unrivaled, we knew that we could finally see Kelsey in the open, full-court version of 3-on-3.

She's already dominated traditional 3-on-3, and it looks like she may be reaching similar levels in Unrivaled, too.

Plum's Phantom dominated the Lunar Owls Saturday night, and Plum put on the best performance in the history of Unrivaled.

Plum scored 38 points on 16-of-22 shooting along with 8 rebounds and 11 assists. She was this close to recording the first triple-double in league history. Her 38 points tied a league record, matching co-founder Napheesa Collier's 38 from last season.

This record was broken - of course - Sunday night by Dearica Hamby.

What's more, Phantom scored 94 points – the most even in a single game in league history.

Phantom coach Roneeka Hodges told me before the season that the team wants to push the pace constantly, as she thought she'd have Dana Evans and Satou Sabally to go along with Plum.

They've both been hurt, so it's been Plum running the show, and she's been pushing that pace and running the show so far in Unrivaled.

Phantom takes the court again tonight, so we'll see what she can deliver as far as an encore goes.

New Project Alert

In November, I started The Next Woman Up podcast for Winsidr. I co-host it with Melissa Triebwasser, who covers TCU and the Dallas Wings for the website.

Episode No. 5 comes out tomorrow, and so far, we've had some HUGE guests in the women's basketball space.

Mia Jacobs of Oregon, Donovyn Hunter of TCU, Jordan Lee of Texas, Thomas Costello of SB Nation (and a subscriber here), and tomorrow will have a discussion with Richmond senior Maggie Doogan, who is coming off a 48-point performance.

In the coming weeks, we'll have Shay Ciezki of Indiana and Taliah Scott of Baylor joining the program, as well as players from UCLA, South Carolina, Princeton, Northwestern, LSU, and more.

If you're a hoops head, I recommend listening to the program.

But that's not why I'm here. I just can't pass up an easy plug.

Ally, co-founder of The W Sports Bar and former co-host of The Soccer Moms FC, and I are launching The Congeniality of Sports.

We are constantly texting back and forth about sports, about random things, and about current issues, so we decided to bring that chat to (audio and video) life.

We recorded a pilot episode, and it went well.

As soon as we launch it, I'll put some links in here for you to find.

Here's what you can expect.

The podcast for people who love all the sports and love talking about them. Hosted by Ally and Waterloo, this is the kind of sports conversation you’d overhear at a bar, in the group chat, or around the office watercooler filling up your reusable bottle.

Join us each episode where we talk hoops, baseball, basketball, women’s sports, men’s sports, niche sports, fun sports moments, and whatever else is lighting up our feeds and or brains that week. Some episodes are deep dives, some are vibes, some will have guests, but all of them are rooted in our genuine love of the game.

If you’re the person who watches multiple leagues, roots for storylines as much as stats, and just wants a chill, fun, low-pressure place to talk sports without the internet yelling, welcome!

Pull up a chair. We saved you a seat.

Until Next Time

I'll be back here on Friday, Lorde willing. Let's continue to take care of each other this week.

Check in on your people. They aren't doing well.

I love you awesome nerds.

And fuck ice.