World Series champ Alex Bregman is already transforming Cubs camp, mentoring teammates and instilling a winning mindset from day one.
New Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman is already making his impact on the team just days into the start of the new season.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic showed up at Cubs camp this week and saw firsthand the way Bregman operates. He’s consistently pushing others to be better and positively impacts the game in several ways.
If anyone knows about winning on this Cubs team, it’s Bregman.
He has made the playoffs in nine of his 10 Major League seasons and has 102 games of playoff experience under his belt. With two World Series titles as well, Bregman knows what it takes to win a 162-game season.
So, he has been trying to instill that winning mindset onto the rest of the team early in Spring Training.
“I just want to win baseball games. I just want to be part of a team that plays meaningful games in October,” Bregman said in that Rosenthal story. “Communication is key. The best teams I’ve been on have been the best at communicating, the best at helping one another.”
Bregman has been outspoken in his short time with the Cubs that he plans to help as many players as possible. Jed Hoyer said last month that Bregman asked for the scouting report on all of his teammates just days after signing his five-year, $175 million contract.
And it appears that he has taken one player under his wing throughout the early portion of the spring. That player is Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Crow-Armstrong is coming off a breakout season with the Cubs, but there are still concerns surrounding the star center fielder entering 2026. He chases too much, strike outs too much, and his on-base percentage was just .287 last season.
Bregman is taking it on himself to help Crow-Armstrong become a more well-rounded hitter. He has been working closely with the 24-year-old to help him grow at the plate in his second full season.
While Bregman no doubt brings a solid bat to this lineup, it’s been his leadership that has been on display earlier in this Cubs tenure. The 31-year-old has been consistently working with his teammates to help them improve as players.
“The Cubs are learning that Bregman is intentional and process-oriented, even in batting practice. Bregman quizzed coaches and teammates on which pitches the right-hander would be throwing and at what velocity before facing Jameson Taillon in a live BP session on Wednesday,” Rosenthal wrote. “Yet, as serious as Bregman is about his craft, Crow-Armstrong describes him as “super-supportive” in their exchanges.”
Having a player like Bregman on this Cubs team is a real difference-maker. He isn’t just about himself. He’s about the team and helping the team get better. There aren’t many players like that in baseball.
The Cubs are lucky to have a winning-type player like Bregman on their team for the next five years. He’s going to do what it takes to win and has already made a major impact before the team’s first full-squad workout has even taken place.