Alex Bregman’s ‘Crazy’ Approach Reminds Jarren Duran Of Ex-Red Sox Slugger

Alex Bregman wasted no time making an immediate impact on the Red Sox.

Boston’s investment has paid off so far. Bregman might be the best player in the American League not named Aaron Judge so far this season and has been worth just about every penny of the $40 million he’s set to make in 2025.

Entering Friday night’s game with the Atlanta Braves, Bregman is hitting .314 (40 points higher than his career average) with 11 home runs and 33 RBI. Bregman is on a 40-home run, 120-RBI pace, which would be among the best run-production numbers he’s ever produced, right up there with 2019 when he led MLB in wins above replacement while hitting 41 home runs and driving in 112 runs. He finished second in MVP voting, the second of consecutive top-five finishes for the award.

If anyone challenges Judge for that honor in 2025, it might be Bregman.

That’s not by accident. Bregman works tirelessly on his craft, and it’s not going unnoticed among his new teammates.

The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey wrote a must-read story on Bregman’s tireless cage routine, and it included a rave review from outfielder Jarren Duran, who was reminded of a past Red Sox slugger.

“Every swing for him is intentional,” Duran told The Athletic. “He breaks down every single swing. Not just like, ‘Oh, I took a bad swing, let me take this next one.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, why did I take a bad swing? Was my body in the right position? It’s just crazy to watch him do his routine.

“The only person I’ve seen like that is J.D. Martinez. But (Bregman) might be even more critical of his swing than J.D., which is crazy.”

It’s one of the many reasons the Red Sox spent big for the Houston Astros champion. Manager Alex Cora insisted at every turn that Bregman would be a perfect fit in Boston, and the early returns are undeniable.