I know he popular opinion was that Correa was too valuable to move off SS for an unproven guy, and for the most part I agreed with that assessment. But here in the early going, the metrics and the eyeball test for Correa have not been good at all. The metrics have him as a liability so far, granted it's still early. If this trajectory continues all year, the discussion of moving Correa off SS may have to start this off season. For now, Bregman if he keeps dominating can help the team in a Ben Zobrist role later in the year. But him being our opening day SS next year shouldn't be off the table. Although again it is early, and seasonal metrics defensively can occasionally have some wildly inconsistent results. Still, it can't be ignored.
His defensive error also cost us the series against KC in the playoffs last year... I know a little harsh to pin it all on CC, but if he makes that play, we would have almost certainly won...
He's actually been tremendous over the last week... better than he was at any point last season (when the metrics suggested he was doing well). So, its definitely a moving trajectory... he needs to (and can be) better than what he showed to start the season, that's for sure.
Like a lot of guys with amazing athleticism/hand eye coordination/reflexes, he is great on quick reaction plays but can struggle with the routine plays where his brain gets involved. Mike Lamb was actually great at going quick to his right at 3B, it was everything else he couldn't catch. There's nothing to say he can't get better, he's still very young and his work ethic and desire to improve is unquestioned. He's stated he really, really wants to stay at SS, so I'm not sure how he would handle a move mentally. He could be a Josh Donaldson-level all-around-best-3B-in-MLB type player potentially.
Meant to add: Bregman is a ballplayer, they will find a way to get him on the field if he keeps this up. I like your Zobrist comparison: give Altuve/Correa/3B/LF the day off in the field and let them DH.
He could be. Then again, his brain could be involved there too... he's had more throwing issues /transfer problems thus far than he has had simple fielding/glove/range problems, which would also be an issue at 3B. Also, the DP combo between him and Altuve has been very impressive (especially with his powerful arm).... would be a shame to give up on that too soon. Again, its gotten better. Still very low on the list of priorities right now.... if Bregman continues to hit a ton, they need to find a way to work him into this lineup any way possible.
Several guys are off to good starts and are high enough ceiling prospects that they're worth watching closely: C Anthony Hermelyn: in a system without an elite catching prospect, as a 4th round pick who is hitting really well, he may be the best catching prospect in the system. Garrett Stubbs has missed time with injury but is also playing well. 3B Nick Tanielu was my pick to take most advantage of the hitters environment in Lancaster, and he's hit well so far; he's not hitting many HR but plenty of doubles. Kemp, Bregman, and Tucker were already highly thought of but all 3 have raised their stocks so far this year. RP Reymin Guduan is s lefty who throws upper 90s and has been dominant in AA. Same can be said for Jandel Gustave in AAA and Riley Ferrell in High A. 3 SP who have raised their stocks are righties Rogelio Armenteros and Trent Thornton (High A), and lefty Matt Bower in QC. Sadly, Bower may be the best left handed starter in Houstons farm. Musgrove and Paulino were already rated high but both have taken big steps forward.
Also should note that Albert Abreu is probably a borderline Top 100 type given how he has looked in QC so far.
Not till age 28. And even then, he was a better SS than Jeter, but Jeter had the position via seniority with the team.
He was better than Jeter. Correa is currently having an uptick in all metrics... should get back to where he was last year by the end of the month. Nobody knows what Bregman's metrics are, but they'd likely have to significantly out-perform Correas to supplant him.
Bregs with another homer...everyone knew he had plus bat speed and very good raw power, but his swing plane was extremely flat, leading most people to believe he'd be more of a line drive hitter. His swing still doesn't seem to have much loft, but it doesn't look quite as flat as it was when he was in college which is what I think has led to this newfound homerun power.
My bad... Nobody HERE knows them. Nobody knows them period against MLB level competition. If they do, what are they? His slight upgraded range gets mitigated by decreased arm strength. That's about all I know.
Fun stat: He has as many HR as Ks so far. Which reminds of an incredible stat -- Joe Dimaggio had 361 HR and 369 Ks for career -- if you exclude his last year or his rookie year, he would have had more HR than Ks. Even Bonds at his roids peak year with an absurd 73 HR and an OBP > .500 had 20 more Ks than HR. Bregman's contact tool was very good last year too, with a K rate right under 10%. He so far hasn't sacrificed that for the power, which is definitely intriguing -- for comparison, Altuve's K rate has ticked up to 12%, after sitting at 10% last year (which seems like a reasonable sacrifice given the pop he's showing).
At this point I'm ready for this lineup: CF Kemp 2B Altuve RF Springer SS Correa 1B Reed LF Bregman DH White 3B Moran C Heineman Springer is the only guy that strikes out a lot, and 1/2 that lineup is comprised of guys with elite contact tools who rarely strikeout.
