Houston AstrosLove them or hate them, they’ve been one of the best teams in MLB for the better part of a decade.

The organization assembled a roster through an extensive rebuild and targeted multiple prospects who became top players in the game.

Success in player development has helped the Astros win two of the last eight World Series Championships and appear in that round in four of the last eight years.

The only downside to being so successful in player development is that at some point these players will hit free agency and there just isn’t enough money in the world to pay them all what they want.

That’s certainly the case for the newest Houston star to hit free agency, including Keith Law in fan-favorite third baseman Alex Bregman. Athletic He ranks as the fifth-best free agent available this summer.

“Bregman is one of the purest hitters I’ve ever seen,” writes Law, who specializes in scouting, “coming back to high school.”

That’s high praise from Law, who is considered by many to be the go-to source for scouting reports on prospects and prep players.

Bregman spent the first nine seasons of his Major League career with the Astros and played a large role in their success on both sides of the ball over the years.

Bregman enters the offseason as a career .272/.366/.483 hitter with 191 home runs, 663 RBI and a 132 OPS+, earning two All-Star honors and finishing as the American League MVP runner-up. 2019.

This year has seen a change in the third baseman’s approach; He walked only 44 times, a career low during the years in which he played 140 or more games and struck out 86 times.

While his strikeouts are still impressive in this day and age, having more than walks is not the norm for Bregman as he finished four different seasons with more walks than strikeouts, the last two in a row.

Defensively, Bregman is one of the most reliable names at the hot corner, scoring 28 Above Average points at the position throughout his career, including six this year.

It’s easy to see that Bregman can be a valuable player for any team in need of a third goalie, can be a valuable piece for opposing teams, and has proven time and time again that he already has championship-winning pedigree.