Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman is experiencing a significant power shortage early in the 2026 season. Through 64 games, the 32-year-old is batting .
248 with five home runs and 19 RBIs, well below his career standards.
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Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million contract with the Cubs in the offseason.
His individual struggles mirror a broader team slump that saw Chicago lose 19 of 25 games, dropping from first to fourth place in the National League Central.
Mechanical Adjustments Underway
Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly recently recorded Bregman's batting practice swings at PNC Park to analyze his mechanics from a side-angle view.
Kelly said the video helps reinforce what Bregman feels at the plate.
Bregman noted a career-high 41.2 percent ground-ball rate before adjusting his approach in late May to improve his pull air percentage.
He explained that he needs to re-establish coverage on fastballs after focusing too much on offspeed pitches away.
“I know what my game is.
It’s pull the ball in the air, it’s swinging at pitches that I can do damage on,” Bregman said.
“Right now I’ve covered offspeed away and stuff away, and changeups and cutters and stuff like that, and I haven’t covered the fastball, so I’ve got to get back to doing that.”
Bat Speed Debate
When asked about Statcast data showing his average bat speed declined from 71 mph last year to 69.7 mph, Bregman dismissed the metric.
