Slow start behind him, Alex Bregman piling up big moments, looking capable of carrying Cubs deep into October

SEATTLE — The guy who was getting booed at Wrigley Field earlier this season is now looking capable of carrying the Cubs deep into October.

Third baseman Alex Bregman has segued from a slow start to his $175 million free-agent contract to the type of production that earns somebody that kind of money in this game.

Since beginning the season batting .235 with seven homers and just a .670 OPS in his first 92 games as a Cub, he came into Friday hitting .306 with nine homers and a .962 OPS in his last 33 games.

“The work ethic and attention to detail is probably some of the best I’ve ever seen,” catcher Carson Kelly said Friday. “With a guy like that, who’s had the success he’s had and the consistency over the years? We always look at, ‘Oh, he had a bad month,’ but you look at the end of the year at what he’s done? He continues to be that same guy. With the work ethic and the attention to detail, over time, it evens itself out.”

Those wildly improved numbers have come along with a rapid-fire sequence of signature moments for Bregman. He hit a dramatic, down-to-their-last-strike home run to force extra innings in a Cubs win over the Blue Jays. Then he had a three-homer game in a win over the Nationals. Then he drove in both the tying and winning runs in Tuesday’s win over the White Sox.

Forget those early-season boos. Bregman is now causing deliriously happy pandemonium at Clark and Addison on a regular basis.

“I’ve seen it his whole career. He’s a special player when he’s going right,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said last week. “What’s also amazing about him, when he was grinding and everything, there were so many things he was doing to help us win games, whether it was defensively, walking guys through at-bats, showing up every day and playing.

“Now that he’s rolling and in a good spot, it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Indeed, Bregman was brought in to do more than just hit.

He’s among the Cubs’ cadre of Gold Glove defenders and looked the part Wednesday against the White Sox, shining in the field while the team’s offense only mustered a couple hits in a shutout loss.

And Bregman, too, has repeatedly lived up to his reputation as a behind-the-scenes aid for teammates, constantly cited as someone sharing tips and insights gleaned from all his winning experience to try to give everyone on the roster an edge.

“The one thing he’s brought so much is being able to help guys navigate through things,” Swanson said, “whether it’s other guys and their at-bats, pitchers and their approach to getting other teams out. He’s best when he’s got his hands in everything.

“Just his knowledge and his perspective on the game itself has really been beneficial for our group. I’ve been able to learn from him, and we’ve all been better for it.”

Yes, such an impact is the reason the Cubs shelled out for Bregman, who would like to add to his already-impressive collection of World Series rings, two of them from his time with the Astros.

And with October on everyone’s minds — except the one-day-at-a-time Cubs, obviously — Bregman looks poised to help carry the team deep into the postseason.

Bregman has 19 homers and a .791 OPS in a whopping 102 career playoff games, including 26 in the World Series.

“The attention to detail that he has, he stays in the moment, he’s able to have a short-term memory,” Kelly said, “those are big things, especially in the postseason, when every moment feels so big.”

Combine that track record with what Cubs fans are finally seeing from the big offseason addition, and Bregman might go from early-summer disappointment to early-fall superstar.

Just like the back of his baseball card said he would.

“You can’t fake it through 162 games,” manager Craig Counsell said earlier this week. “The players come to play over 162 games, and that’s what Alex is doing. It’s a credit to how he works every single day and is just relentless with his search to be himself and be the best version of himself.”