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AL DIVISION SERIES: RAYS VS ASTROS

October 3, 2019

Alex Bregman

Houston, Texas - Workout Day

Q. Alex, you said after the Red Sox series last year that you thought everyone would come in, chip on their shoulder, and use that disappointment to kind of drive the next season. Has that carried you the entire season, and is it still there?
ALEX BREGMAN: I think a little bit. I think we know our year last year didn't end the way we wanted it to. Every year, you have a new team, and this team has been fired up from the start of spring training to be in this position in the postseason. We've got a great opportunity to go out there and prove that what we think, and that's that we're the best team in the world.

Q. Alex, I have a question actually about Yordan Alvarez. As a teammate, watching him in the batters' box, what has impressed you the most about what you've seen from him since he came up to the big leagues?
ALEX BREGMAN: He's a very smart hitter. He can hit every pitch in every location. He knows how to put together a game plan for himself. He knows what kind of hitter he is. He knows what his strengths are, and he uses all that to his advantage.

Q. Alex, you mentioned how each year, a new team, this organization has been in the playoffs for the last five years. If you could put your finger on it, what is it about this year's team that is so different from years past?
ALEX BREGMAN: I think actually, this year's team has a lot of similarities to the team in '17. I just think there's only one thing on our mind, and that's win. Nothing else.

Q. Alex, the Astros have a lot of Spanish-speaking fans. If you can please give me one answer in Spanish, I will really appreciate it if you don't mind. I'll ask it in English, but if you could answer in Spanish, I would appreciate it.
You had an incredible season. Growing up as a player, your team is just getting better and better and better. What is the most important thing that you need to keep up during the postseason in order to win it all? If I could get it in Spanish, that would be wonderful.

ALEX BREGMAN: (In Spanish.)

Q. Alex, because the bulk of your team has been there and done that now, how relevant is that now?
ALEX BREGMAN: I think a lot of guys have been through the postseason a few times now. We know what it takes to win, and we're very motivated. This group is extremely motivated. We can't wait to get out there.

Q. Alex, A.J. was talking about you guys have big personalities, a lot of you, that you know how to focus on the task at hand. How important has that been for this team, the years you've been here? You've been able to express yourself, be yourselves, and also that, in turn, you're able to excel on the field.
ALEX BREGMAN: Yeah, I think we have personalities, but we have some definite similarities between all of us, and that's win at all costs. That's all we want to do. So it's pretty easy to go out there and compete every day with these guys because everyone has the same mindset.

Q. Alex, you guys opened the series at the Trop. A.J. has talked about it before. Is it significantly different to you in terms of the stadium with all its peculiarities, or is it not an issue for you when you're playing the game?
ALEX BREGMAN: No, I think the biggest thing there is you've got to -- you can't take your eye off a fly ball because you'll lose it. The turf's a little different. But it's still 90 feet to first and 60 feet 6 inches to the mound.

They got a good team. We got a good team. Let's go get after it.

Q. For the longest time in baseball history, a lot of the mentality for hitters was let's get the starter out. Let's push him out. Now it's so much activity from the bullpen. What's the mentality like now as a hitter?
ALEX BREGMAN: Get the starter out. Get the lead. Score as often and as early as possible. Doesn't matter who. It's like if the Nationals were playing against the Brewers, it's not like the Nationals are like, Hey, let's let this guy stay in the game so we don't have to face Hader. They want to get that guy out of the game and score some runs.

Q. Alex, your first time playing in the postseason, you got off to a good start against Boston and had a good run there. For the younger guys who are playing for the first time, like Alvarez, what's going through their mind at this time and how were you able to settle in and play well?
ALEX BREGMAN: I think that year, I talked to a lot of guys, McCann, Beltran, guys like that. And basically, they just said, Play your game. And I tried to play my game, stay within myself, and I felt like I was helping contribute to a team win.

When you play in that -- with that mindset of doing anything you can to help a team win, whether that's moving a runner over, hitting a sac fly, hitting a cutoff man, whatever it is, if you're doing something to help the team win, you feel more comfortable and you adapt to the environment easier.

Q. When you don't have a ton of exposure against a guy, like in the case with Glasnow, do you delve deeper into the video, the stats, the numbers because you don't have a ton of personal experience to rely upon? How does that change things?
ALEX BREGMAN: Yeah, we dive deeper into the video. We look at a lot of different things, and we ask around to our buddies around the league who have faced him. He's tough. He's been unbelievable this year. They have a really good staff so we got our hands full.

Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Reddick today?
ALEX BREGMAN: Yeah, I talked to him on the phone. He's super excited. Two babies. We're all happy for him and hope they're healthy and happy.

Q. Alex, the local writers voted you the team MVP. You're a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award, most outstanding offensive performer each league. There's a lot of buzz around you concerning MVP. I know your focus is winning. What are your thoughts about that?
ALEX BREGMAN: It was a good year. But none of that means anything now. It's all about the postseason. We're 11 wins away from our second World Series championship in three years. And to be completely honest, that's all that matters. That's all that matters is winning. In this game, when we show up to spring training, we're not worried about winning the Hank Aaron award or MVP. We're worried about winning a World Series. The only MVP award we worry about is the World Series MVP. We've got to keep staying after it. We've got 11 games to go.

I think when players are considered great at the end of their career, winning goes into that. I think that's because every player in the clubhouse isn't worried about awards. They're worried about winning games. I definitely would rather be judged, when this is all said and done, based on how many World Series I won than how many MVPs I won.

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