LSU junior shortstop Alex Bregman’s last 24 hours have been euphoric.
After going hitless for almost the entire postseason, Bregman finally came through in a crucial moment of Game 2 of the Baton Rouge Super Regional, driving a two-out, two-RBI single in a 1-0 game in the top of the eighth inning. The run-scoring base hit contributed to a 6-3 victory against University of Louisiana-Lafayette and a berth in the College World Series.
Fast forward to Monday evening, and the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native became a professional baseball player.
With family, friends, teammates and current and former coaches in attendance, Bregman was selected as the No. 2-overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft by the Houston Astros. The selection makes him the highest-drafted LSU player since Ben McDonald was drafted No. 1 overall in 1989.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet,” Bregman said. “It’s a dream come true. You grow up as a little kid playing baseball and dreaming about playing professionally one day. … It’s such an honor. It’s due to all my great teammates and coaches that I’ve had throughout the years.”
Bregman also was among the first two players in Southeastern Conference history to go No. 1 and No. 2 overall. Vanderbilt junior shortstop Dansby Swanson, who was playing in the Champaign, Illinois, Super Regional just before the draft, was selected first by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Several mock drafts projected Bregman to go in the No. 2 spot, but don’t believe the All-American was upset about being drafted behind his SEC counterpart, who he played with on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer.
“Dansby is a great player,” Bregman said. “I got to play with him a lot this summer. We got to turn double plays together, and I had a great time doing that. I give him a lot of congrats, and I hope he got to enjoy it. … He’s a good friend of mine, and I’m really happy for him.”
Some scouts believe Bregman will eventually move to second base, which he said he is willing to do, but he hasn’t been paying much attention to projections. He actually played at catcher in high school and on a summer league team he played on before arriving at LSU, but LSU coach Paul Mainieri requested he take ground balls everyday before his first practice with the Tigers.
Bregman did, and, within 10 minutes of his first day on the field at Alex Box Stadium, Mainieri knew he found his next shortstop. But even the LSU skipper, who calls Bregman “the greatest joy for a coach,” has been impressed with his improvement since the fall of his freshman year.
“There’s zero question in my mind that this guy is an excellent major league shortstop,” Mainieri said. “I think Houston will see that and give him an opportunity to play there. I think Houston will see that he’s true a leader in the infield. … Now, with that said, what an organization’s needs are may dictate that he moves to another position. But it won’t be because he can’t play shortstop.”
Now, Bregman turns his focus back to preparation for the Tigers’ 17th trip to the College World Series. But for a diamond rat like Bregman, it makes sense that he wouldn’t take time off on draft day.
“I was hitting this morning,” Bregman said. “We’re focused on Omaha.”
You can reach James Bewers on Twitter @JamesBewers_TDR.