Insane statistic shows Alex Bregman has lived up to the hype in just three games

A new era is upon us. Regardless of the fact the Chicago Cubs dropped two of three over the weekend to start the 2026 season, we're sitting here watching a pair of nine-figure contract extension press conferences while our $175 million third baseman smacks two homers in one game.

Things could be way worse.

On Sunday, Alex Bregman finally got some results after putting together strong at-bats throughout the weekend without much to show for it, going yard twice and raising his OPS to .978 on the young season.

“He’s a very good hitter,” Craig Counsell told MLB.com after the game. “He’s very selective at the plate. He’s looking for his pitch and when he gets it, he puts a good swing on it. … I would agree that he’s been very locked in since Day 1.”

With those two home runs, Bregman has already exceeded the body of work the revolving cast of characters who held down the hot corner in the first half last year put together - which is equally impressive and terrifying.

Third base was the island of misfit toys for the Cubs in 2025

Third base was a major pain point for the 2025 Cubs (gee, if only there was a third baseman they could have signed to fix that... oh, wait) but at least Jed Hoyer learned his lesson and got his guy this time around, bringing in the biggest name to hold down the position since Kris Bryant the better part of a decade ago.

Last year, Counsell trotted out the likes of Matt Shaw, Jon Berti, Vidal Brujan, Gage Workman, Nicky Lopez, Justin Turner and Willi Castro at third - hardly a group that strikes fear in the hearts of opposing pitching staffs. Bregman, obviously, isn't in the same category and represents a huge upgrade at the position - and he's wasted no time impacting the game, both at the plate and in the field.