Why 2004 Champion Believes This Alex Bregman Trait Best Elevates Red Sox

Bill Mueller knows what it takes to succeed at third base and win a championship for the Boston Red Sox.

Boston still has a decision to make on whether the incumbent All-Star Rafael Devers will stay at third base or move to the designated hitter spot with Gold Glover Alex Bregman at the corner, though that writing appears to be on the wall for the Red Sox.

Bregman brings defensive stability and a productive right-handed bat to the Red Sox, though Mueller believes the two-time World Series champion’s intangibles are even more valuable to the youthful Red Sox club.

“You want to get guys around the cage that have been there and done that,” Mueller told NESN.com. “Being able to have that experience of talking hitting and situations and how to handle pitchers. It gives the presence of experience, intelligence, calmness. Just things these young kids need. They need people around that cage to speak baseball.”

Bregman already took Boston’s top prospects under his wing and showed his willingness to help the core grow to best benefit the future for the Red Sox.

“There’s that respect and that absorption that’s probably a lot quicker sometimes than hearing something from a coach or a piece of paper,” Mueller added.

More importantly for 2025, Bregman’s winning culture should spread quickly, and realistically already has, through the Red Sox clubhouse with young cornerstones such as Jarren Duran hoping to end Boston’s three-year playoff drought.

“I think it’s a great thing. It’s always nice to have a good mix of youth and some older guys,” Mueller said. “… It’s nice to have experience with someone who’s already been in the jungle and hunted the animal and came out on top.”