Red Sox INF Alex Bregman joins! Where does Bregman want to play? How has Bregman grown as a leader?
What is it about Fenway Park and the Green Monster, that makes Bregman so successful here? Why did he want to come to Boston?
What is it about Fenway Park and the Green Monster, that makes Bregman so successful here? Why did he want to come to Boston?
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00:00Alex Bregman, newest member of the Boston Red Sox, just sat down.
00:03I'm Chris Curtis, Jermaine Wiggins, Patriot Super Bowl champion Jermaine Wiggins,
00:07and Courtney Cox here. Very nice to meet you, Alex.
00:10How does it feel to be a member of the Boston Red Sox?
00:13Great. Feels good to be here. It's been an awesome two weeks.
00:16So looking forward to continuing to get after it and get ready for the season.
00:22Alex Cora just sat here before you and he had many nice things to say about you.
00:28Many? That's an understatement.
00:29He said you were quote, if I don't want to get this wrong,
00:32Abby's here from the Red Sox. He called you perfect.
00:37What is your relationship like with Cora and how important was he in getting you here?
00:42No, it's been great. Honestly, spoke with him a ton all offseason long.
00:49Just kind of talking about Boston, this team, the future of this team,
00:54our time together and kind of what he would expect from me playing here.
01:02And our relationship's been great. He's a gamer. He loves baseball, a hard worker,
01:10guy who just is going to compete every single day and I can't wait to play for him.
01:15And right before we do this, I will be fired if I don't get this in.
01:18The show being here from Spring Training is co-sponsored by McFarland Energy,
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01:44Another thing that Alex Cora brought up was your mentality
01:47before and after 2017 and how you rebounded from that going into 2018.
01:52You kind of cut out the noise having to travel around and hear what people were saying.
01:56Do you feel different from before 2017 and after and how you've responded to that?
02:01I think you can just, you learn a lot from experiences in your life and you learn.
02:08I think honestly, at the end of the day, it's made me a better person and leader.
02:13And I feel like I've grown up a lot and learned a lot.
02:19I'll be able to share experiences with a lot of people and hopefully teach them.
02:28Alex, one of the things that we kind of talked about, he tapped into a little bit,
02:32but it is the elephant in the room.
02:34The fact that you're an outstanding third baseman when it comes to fielding.
02:40And Raphael Devers has played that position and there's this kind of competition.
02:47How do you kind of approach this?
02:49And I know you said that, hey, I'll do whatever AC does.
02:52But as a former player, I know that there's like,
02:54when you feel like you do something well, that's where you want to be.
02:58What's your mental approach knowing that, okay,
03:01maybe I might have to start the season off at another position
03:04or I really am hoping that I start the position off at third base?
03:09I think I said this earlier in camp and to be honest, it's an honor to be
03:16Raffy's teammate.
03:18I've admired watching him play for so long from across the field
03:21and to be able to be on his team and pulling on the same end of the rope has been awesome.
03:26I feel like this has been talked about way more in the media
03:30than it has at all in the clubhouse.
03:32That's what we do.
03:36We haven't really talked about it.
03:38We've all just been kind of keeping our head down, getting to work.
03:41And like you said, I'll play anywhere.
03:46I truly mean it.
03:47And whatever AC and wherever he tells me to play, I'll be ready to play.
03:53And I think that Patriots fans, Boston fans can relate to what it meant for you
04:01to win that second championship with the Astros where for so long,
04:06the Patriots were, well, you only won because of this,
04:09the footballs or the spying or whatever.
04:11And then those Patriots fans, those championships after those scandals broke,
04:17felt even more rewarding.
04:19What was it like for you as a guy that was a leader?
04:23Alex talked about, Alex Cora talked about how there's a lot of guys.
04:26He actually said, you know, Altuve's great.
04:28Alvarez is great.
04:29All this, Dusty's great.
04:31But Bregman was the guy, the glue that led the team out of that mess
04:35and into another championship.
04:37What did it feel like to win after the 2017 events?
04:41Well, I think obviously had a lot of great teammates and coaches there.
04:45And I feel like for all of us, every year is different.
04:49When you start out in spring training, every team is different.
04:51I feel like during the runs of the Patriots,
04:54I feel like obviously there are certain guys that are there,
04:57but I feel like the roster is different every year.
05:01And there's like a little bit of a different feel every year.
05:03So you kind of got to find a way to how's this team going to win
05:06and how's this team going to be really good?
05:08So I think obviously, I think we pitched the ball really well in 2022.
05:12And I think we had a lot of guys offensively step up
05:16and play well throughout the playoffs that year.
05:20But I think overall, over the course of our career,
05:25being able to execute in the postseason on the mound
05:29and execute defensively, I think that's been the bread and butter
05:33the bread and butter baseball wise,
05:36as far as what gets the job done in the postseason
05:39against these really good teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox.
05:44So I don't know, I think obviously it was great to win that year.
05:48It was a lot of fun going into a hostile Philly environment
05:52and felt like we were playing in a college football stadium
05:54during those games.
05:55Like the crowd was like bouncing up and down,
05:57especially after they won game three that year.
06:01I think they won like five nothing and had five homers
06:04and it felt like the crowd was on top of you.
06:08Overall, you're right.
06:09It did feel really good to win that year.
06:12What's amazing is how good you are
06:15and your ability to execute at Fenway.
06:18And I can listen to the stat heads,
06:20I can listen to the experts that break down tape,
06:22but you personally, what is it about Fenway,
06:25about the Green Monster that makes you so dominant?
06:29I don't know.
06:30It's unbelievable.
06:31And that's why I think everybody's so hyped to have you here now.
06:34So I think the first game I ever played there,
06:38actually, AC told me, he said,
06:40you need to try and hit the ball low to right field
06:41and high to left field.
06:42Because he's like, you're a little guy,
06:44you don't need to be trying to hit the ball out the right field here.
06:47So play to your strengths, I guess.
06:50And I don't know, I feel comfortable.
06:53I see the ball well there.
06:56I see the ball well and I don't know,
06:59I think when it's Monday in Boston and it's still sold out
07:04and Sweet Caroline's playing
07:05and the crowd's going crazy on a Monday or a Saturday night
07:10or whatever, it's just an elite atmosphere
07:12that gets you up for every single game
07:14and definitely played a big role
07:18in why I wanted to go to Boston.
07:21The fans are incredible.
07:23I feel like every game means something
07:25during the regular season.
07:27And yeah, I feel like that it's a good, healthy pressure.
07:32One of the things that Cora talked about
07:34was obviously leadership skills
07:36and what you bring to the clubhouse.
07:39When you come into a different situation,
07:43you talked about every year is different,
07:44every team is different,
07:45but now you're coming into a new environment
07:49in a clubhouse where you're looked at as being a leader
07:54for guys that you don't really know
07:56or you're getting to know.
07:57What's that been like for you
07:59in this growth of you as a player
08:02to kind of take on that role for a team
08:04for the past couple of years
08:06that hasn't been good,
08:07finished in last place two of the last three years.
08:10What have you kind of brought into that clubhouse
08:13from obviously your experience
08:15in being such a successful player?
08:17No, I think obviously being in Houston
08:22and being around the same group of guys,
08:24whether it's the same minor league system throughout
08:26and seeing guys come up from AA, AAA,
08:28you get to know guys over the course of time.
08:30And when you're with an organization for so long,
08:33you kind of understand how to lead that group.
08:36I think the biggest thing for me since being here
08:39is I'm trying to find out
08:40what makes every single person in the clubhouse tick,
08:42what makes them be their best
08:44and play at their best and perform at their best.
08:46Have you figured out Kostas yet?
08:47Because none of us have.
08:49Hey, he's a hell of a player.
08:52He really is.
08:53Sorry, no, it's a fine question.
08:59But I think that the biggest thing
09:01is finding out what makes every single player go
09:05and fighting out a way to get the best out of them
09:08on a daily basis, I think is very important.
09:13Communication is key.
09:15I've probably been talking too much to all the guys
09:17since I've been here.
09:18I've been asking them way too many questions,
09:20just trying to get to know everybody
09:22and figure out kind of this team's dynamic.
09:27Obviously, they haven't made the playoffs in a few years,
09:29but playing from the other side of the field against them,
09:32you couldn't tell that.
09:34The way they play, how hard they play, it fires me up.
09:39Jaron Duran in the leadoff spot,
09:41he sets the tone for this team
09:44with just how hard he plays every single time.
09:46He's busting his tail down the line,
09:49stretching singles to doubles, scoring from first.
09:53It's been a fun group to play against
09:56because every single night they compete.
09:59And I've relayed that message to them
10:00that I loved watching them compete
10:03over the last few years.
10:04And we've had some good battles against each other.
10:07And I'm excited to be their teammate.
10:10And you're obviously a talented player,
10:12Gold Glove winner, two-time World Series champion,
10:14all that.
10:15But it feels like you're here primarily
10:18for what you just described,
10:20that this team is talented.
10:22They have a bunch of young guys coming up, ready to go.
10:25And the second halves the last couple of years
10:27have been really the Achilles heel,
10:29whether it's injuries, whatever,
10:31that they haven't been successful.
10:32It feels like you're number two
10:33because you weren't taking number one.
10:36You take things personally.
10:38And I believe that that's why Cora was so dead set
10:41on getting you in here,
10:42that this team was now ready to take the next step.
10:45I'm still young.
10:46I could play a little bit too still.
10:47Yeah.
10:49I mean, don't quote me.
10:50It was all Cora.
10:51These are old heads that you're talking to.
10:52They don't get it.
10:53Believe me, I peaked athletically at age six.
10:58But no, it feels like all those things
11:02are what was the catalyst to get you here
11:04that Alex and others in the organization
11:07believe that you're the guy
11:08that can sort of shine the light ahead
11:09and lead all the field,
11:10but also in that clubhouse.
11:12Well, I can only speak for myself,
11:15but in looking from the outside in
11:19at this organization,
11:20I feel like this organization
11:21is set up to win for a very long time.
11:23If you look at the prospects in the minor leagues,
11:26if you look at the young talent in the big leagues,
11:28the veteran players in the big leagues
11:30and the franchise players that you already have,
11:32and Rafi and Jaren,
11:34and I think this organization is set up to win.
11:38And that was one of the main reasons
11:40why I wanted to come here.
11:42I've been in the playoffs every single year of my career.
11:45I want to keep that going.
11:49Curtis brings up your number two,
11:50and obviously we all know why you are number two,
11:53but we've had great players here in Boston
11:55that have worn number two, Xander Bogarts,
11:57but also whenever I'm at spring training,
11:58I think of Jerry Remy and just wondering,
12:01I guess, selfishly,
12:02if you have any Jerry Remy stories,
12:04if you ever met him,
12:05if you, you know,
12:06he was a remarkable guy,
12:07both on the field and up in the booth.
12:12No, I don't have any stories.
12:15But I did text Bogarts before,
12:19we trained together in the off season in Arizona,
12:22and I texted Bogarts and Bogie.
12:25I said, I will not wear number two as Boston
12:28if you don't want me to,
12:29because like he had such a great career here.
12:32And like, I'm only doing this with your blessing.
12:35And he was like, I want you to wear number two, go do it.
12:37I wouldn't want anybody else to.
12:39So that was pretty cool.
12:40Good conversation.
12:41That's awesome.
12:42One of the things that Cora talked about,
12:45and, you know,
12:46we'd probably like to hear a little bit more from you,
12:49obviously with the number two and just that,
12:52that determination to prove people wrong about you,
12:58you know,
12:58and I think that's what really separates
13:02a lot of players,
13:03regardless of sports,
13:04when a guy has a chip on his shoulder
13:06and feels like that they're,
13:10that they're always being second guess,
13:12or they always feel like,
13:14you know,
13:14no one's counting on you to do what it is,
13:17you know, you can do.
13:19What are some of the things that motivate you
13:21to still continue to grind at that kind of level
13:25in that mindset?
13:27I think winning motivates me the most right now,
13:33and always has really.
13:35I feel like since my freshman year of high school,
13:41we've every team I've been on has been in the playoffs
13:44every single year and made a decent run at it.
13:49I feel like growing up,
13:52I played this game to win.
13:54I know that like in the baseball world,
13:56now there's showcases and stuff like that.
13:57But when I was growing up
13:58and we were playing travel ball across the country,
14:00it was like we were playing to win.
14:03I played for the Albuquerque Baseball Academy in New Mexico,
14:06and there was maybe,
14:08I don't know,
14:09we didn't,
14:10not a lot of guys from New Mexico really went on to play.
14:14Actually, we have one now,
14:15Matt Moore just signed with Boston,
14:18but not a lot of guys from New Mexico really played
14:22at the next level,
14:23let alone the big leagues.
14:24And I feel like we always had that kind of mentality
14:28everywhere we went around the country,
14:29whether it was coming to Arizona or Florida or Texas,
14:32when we were playing somebody,
14:33we wanted to show like,
14:34hey, we can play down here too.
14:36And I guess I kind of just adapted that.
14:39I don't know if it's like in New Mexico,
14:41like a little chip on your shoulder from a young age
14:44that, hey, we can play down here too.
14:49I think, like I said,
14:50what motivates me right now is winning.
14:52What motivated me forever has been winning,
14:55and I feel like I have a really good chance to do that here.
14:59I'm excited.
15:00Yeah, Wiggy's the only guy from East
15:01he'd ever be a tight end.
15:02Yeah, no, no, my career, I was undrafted,
15:06and I was able to play a long time and as an undrafted guy.
15:10So I understand when you have this chip
15:12because they say you can't do this,
15:14not fast enough, you're not big enough, whatever it is.
15:17And that when you see players that have that mentality,
15:20I think those guys resonate in a clubhouse,
15:23in a locker room with their peers,
15:25because people really respect that drive
15:28and that kind of, he has that dog in him.
15:30And I just got to wrap.
15:31I know we're getting done right here.
15:32We have 50, our midday show, Jones and Keefe
15:34did a segment trying to get the right home run call
15:37for Alex Bregman.
15:39So Sean, why don't we play the best
15:41and we'll see if Bregman has a favorite here.
15:43So here you go.
15:44An A-bomb from A-Breg.
15:46Foghorn Breghorn.
15:47I said, I said another home run, but Foghorn Breghorn.
15:51A-B-C-ya.
15:53Breg on your face, crack a few Bregs.
15:56Bregatron's good.
15:57Hammond Bregger.
15:57Breg in the stallion.
15:58Figure four Breglock.
16:00So Breg in the stallion, Breg on your face.
16:03Any of those resonate?
16:04Or should we go back to the drawing board?
16:06Oh, I think we need to go back to the drawing board.
16:10Even though Breg in the stallion's from Houston,
16:12I don't think we call him Breg in the stallion.
16:15Welcome to Boston, Alex.
16:16Thank you for the time this morning.
16:17And we'll talk to you again soon.
16:18Good luck, Kevin.
16:18Thank you guys.
16:19Appreciate it.
16:20Very nice to meet you.