Inside this Astro's defensive uptick

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A dribbler is hit toward third base, where a hard-charging Alex Bregman grabs it with his bare hand and makes an accurate throw to first base for an out. This is anything but a routine play, but Bregman has a knack for making the not-so-routine plays look, well, routine.

If it seems like Bregman is having one of his best defensive seasons of his career, it’s because he is. Winning a Gold Glove at third base in the American League will be difficult with Toronto’s Matt Chapman, who entered Tuesday with a league-best 11 Defensive Runs saved (Bregman was tied for second with four), in the mix. Still, Bregman has earned consideration with the work he’s done with his glove and with his … hand?

“He secures the ball barehanded better than anyone I’ve seen,” bench coach Joe Espada said.

Bregman’s ability to charge a slowly-hit baseball, pick it up with his right hand and fire a strike to first base has set him apart this year. Bregman has made the play countless times this season.

“I think the key for me is watching the ball into the hand, making sure of the catch,” he said. “That kind of sets you up with good body mechanics to make a throw to first base. If you lift up early for a barehand, you have no room for error with your throw. Trying to really stay down and watch it in my hand is my key to that.”

When looking at Outs Above Average (OAA), Bregman has always been a very good defensive third baseman, with his biggest jump going from a 0 OAA to a +7 in 2022. He has a +3 OAA this year. His +10 OAA last year and this year leads the AL.

“I feel like it’s been one of my better defensive years overall as a whole,” Bregman said.

Espada said Bregman, who’s appeared to put his lower-body injuries in the past, is moving around the field like he did in 2018 and 2019.

“His perception has always been excellent, his jump has always been right on time,” he said. “I think he’s strong again and it’s paying off.”

The one area where Bregman has really stood out this year are plays coming in. In 2023, he has +6 OAA on plays coming in, which is tied for second-best among third basemen behind Colorado’s Ryan McMahon (+7). In 2022, Bregman was at +1 OAA on plays coming in.

“That’s something he did a lot in college and something I make sure that we didn’t take away from him,” Espada said. “That’s who he is. He’s always been really good on the run, barehand it, how accurate he is. … He’s got some shortstop attributes that he’s able to carry over to third base and help him in his career.”

The Gold Glove Awards are calculated based on a combination of voting by managers/coaches and the SABR Defensive Index, which is a measure of the number of runs saved by a player's defensive performance over the course of a season, compared to the average defensive player at that position.

“Obviously it’s really cool and something you dream about,” Bregman said. “I’ve played pretty good defensively over the last six years. There’s a lot of metrics and stuff like that. To be honest with you, I’m just trying to play good defense and help our pitchers.”