Cubs' Alex Bregman has gone from easy out to an elite clutch hitter in the second half

In July, Jon Lester appeared on the North Side Territory podcast and spoke to the pressure of living up to a big contract - which is exactly what he thought Alex Bregman had been trying to do to that point. The three-time All-Star third baseman had struggled badly to that point, failing to live up to the expectations that accompanied his five-year, $140 million deal.

In recent weeks, though, we've seen a dramatic about-face from Bregman, who is looking like the player he's been his entire MLB career: a consumate professional who's built for the big moments.

In roughly one-third as many games, Bregman has already matched his first-half home run total (9) including a pair against the Seattle Mariners on Friday. He boasts an impressive .308/.379/.585 slash line since the All-Star break - and has been white-hot in the month of August, evidenced by a 1.020 OPS.

The situations he's finding success in, though, is what's been really special to watch.

Alex Bregman is consistently delivering in the big moments for the Cubs

To give us a nice clean break, let's look at Bregman since Aug. 1. The OPS north of 1.000 is elite in and of itself, but when you look a little closer, things get even more exciting.

With runners in scoring position, Bregman is batting .500 (20 plate appearances) - and slugging a ridiculous .950. In the seventh inning or later, the Cubs' third baseman is slashing .292/.346/.667 (26 plate appearances). The power stroke has been the biggest difference in Bregman's game across the board and it's been a difference-maker in Craig Counsell's lineup.

But turn up the pressure and this is your guy. In what FanGraphs defines as medium or high-leverage situations since Aug. 1, Bregman carries a .351/.415/.703 line - and, when paired with Pete Crow-Armstrong's ongoing quest to be the team's first NL MVP since Kris Bryant a decade ago, has completely elevated this offense.

It may have taken Bregman a while to get going, but he's firing on all cylinders at the perfect time, ready to be a major factor when the calendar turns to October and it's all on the line.

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