By Marc Myers

Alex Bregman, 31, plays third base for the Chicago Cubs, who signed him in January to a five-year, $175-million contract. He played in three All-Star games and has won two World Series championships. (One of them, with the Houston Astros in 2017, was the subject of a sign-stealing scandal; Bregman declined to comment on the scandal.) He spoke with Marc Myers.

During baseball practice in my senior year of high school, Coach hit me a grounder that changed my life. As my bare right hand moved to protect the ball when it entered my glove, it suddenly bounced up sharply and hit the tip of my right hand's middle finger.

It hurt terribly and the pain didn't go away. I taped up the first three fingers, but I still couldn't throw across the infield.

After looking at my X-rays, the doctor said I'd need surgery and a pin, and that I'd miss the season. Dread hit me. Everyone, including me, assumed I was going to be picked by a Major League team in the first or second round of the upcoming draft.

A day later, with the help of my parents, I snapped out of it. I said to myself, "Let's focus on getting this healed as fast as possible."

I grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., where my family lived in a one-story, brown-stucco house that had mostly boulders and dirt in the backyard. We had great views of the Sandia Mountains to the east.

My father, Sam, is a defense attorney. He instilled confidence in me and made me believe I could achieve anything. My mother, Jackie, is also an attorney. She was supersupportive as well.

My dream was to play pro ball. My parents told me that was possible, but only if I made sacrifices, worked my tail off and dedicated everything I had to it.

Despite playing college baseball, my father never coached me as a kid. He just wanted to be Dad, so he found the best coaches for me. He knew coaching could create friction between us.

My mother is one of the hardest-working people I know. Superintelligent and very competitive. She never let me win at anything, including chess, until I was good enough to beat her.

Jessica, my sister, is 18 months younger than me and Anthony is six years younger. She came to all of my tournaments, and I coached Anthony's travel team.

At age 4, I began playing T-ball -- hitting a stationary ball off a batting tee. In my first game, I turned an unassisted triple play. My early reflexes came from watching games on TV with my parents and learning the ins and outs from my dad.

In eighth grade, when I was 14, I applied to a New Mexico baseball camp. The head coach, Ray Birmingham, said, "You need to get faster." With the help of Adrian Gonzales at Elevate in Albuquerque, I improved my speed. The next year, I went back to Ray and said, "OK, I'm faster." He said I needed to get stronger. I learned to build my strength.

I went to the gym at 6 a.m. until classes started. After school, I'd head to the batting cage and hit until 10 p.m. My baseball obsession didn't affect my grades though. I wound up with a 3.8 GPA. My mom made sure I did my homework.

With an injured finger in my senior year, I knew getting drafted in the first or second round was unlikely. In that case, I'd go to college. When I was drafted in the 29th round by the Boston Red Sox, my father reminded me of my promise to go to college.

I had full-scholarship offers from many colleges, but I liked Louisiana State University best. They offered only a partial scholarship and said I had to earn the rest. I liked having to prove myself. By my junior year, I had a full scholarship.

That same year, in 2015, the draft rolled around in June. My family and friends watched it with us on TV. We were so excited. In the first round, the Houston Astros had the second selection and picked and signed me.

My dream became a reality. I headed off to the Astros' farm teams, then the Astros brought me up to the majors in July 2016. I signed a five-year contract in 2019.

Emotionally, signing this year with the Chicago Cubs felt similar. I had the same level of excitement.

I met my wife, Reagan, in Houston at a group dinner set up by a friend. Today we live with our two boys, Knox and Bennett, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Our house is similar to the one I grew up in. I love that it has a big backyard. Knox is 3 and already playing T-ball.

I still think of that injured finger as a learning lesson -- and a blessing. If I hadn't wound up in Houston when I did, I wouldn't have met Reagan. Let's call the injury a lucky break.

Alex's Must-Have

Are you moving to Chicago? We'll continue to live in Scottsdale, but we're looking for a house in Chicago for the baseball season. When we're shown a property, I walk straight to the backyard to see if there's room to play baseball with the kids. Reagan looks at everything else.

What are your favorite diversions at home? Our pool table and ping-pong table.

Are you good at pool? Yeah, but I'm better at ping pong.

What is your home chore? Straightening up the boys' playroom. I'm good at cleaning.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 24, 2026 11:00 ET (15:00 GMT)