With Alex Bregman set to join Dansby Swanson on the left side of the Cubs infield, after reportedly agreeing to a five-year, $175 million free agent contract last week, it sets them up to become the fifth pair of teammates taken first and second in the same Draft. The D-backs selected Swanson first overall in 2015, and the Astros took Bregman with the next pick.
But really, the two players had been linked well before that, too.
Amateur careers
Both players were known quantities in high school, and both were late-round draft picks in the 2012 Draft. The Rockies drafted Swanson in the 38th round out of Marietta High School in Georgia, with Bregman becoming a 29th round pick by Boston out of Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico. But neither signed. Swanson honored his commitment to Vanderbilt, while Bregman headed to Louisiana State. Both had the talent to go in the top three rounds if they were signable.
The pair then faced each other regularly as Southeastern Conference shortstops from 2013-15. Swanson was an All-American his sophomore and junior seasons and helped lead Vanderbilt to the national championship in 2014. Vandy returned to Omaha in 2015, where the Commodores fell in the finals.
Bregman, meanwhile, emerged as the engine of LSU’s offense, sharpening a reputation for relentless competitiveness and high-end baseball IQ. He was an All-American in ‘13 and ‘15 and led the top-ranked Tigers to the CWS as a junior, though they were eliminated by Texas Christian in the quarterfinals. Both Swanson and Bregman were finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate player, that year. Anthony Benitendi ultimately claimed the award.
A year prior, as sophomores, Swanson and Bregman played together on Team USA in the summer of 2014.
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The 2015 Draft
By the time the 2015 Draft approached, the two were inseparable in scouting circles. Swanson ranked No. 2 and Bregman No. 4 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 200 Draft Prospects list (Florida prep infielder Brendan Rodgers ranked No. 1; Vandy righty Carson Fulmer ranked No. 3). Both were viewed as advanced hitters with the instincts and actions to stay at shortstop, and both were expected to come off the board early.
Here is part of MLB Pipeline’s report on Swanson from the time:
"Swanson is a technically sound hitter who fits at the top of his lineup with his on-base ability and speed. He showed as a junior that there might be Major League average power in his bat as well. His makeup is off the charts and universally praised by coaches and scouts."
And here is a snippet from Bregman’s:
"With his size, toolset, aggressive nature and tremendous makeup, Bregman regularly draws comparisons to Dustin Pedroia. Unlike Pedroia, he may be able to play shortstop in the big leagues. He looked better defensively as a junior, and his arm and feel for the game allow him to make plays at short."
Mock drafts reflected how tight the race had become. In mid-May, Pipeline projected Swanson to go third overall to the Rockies, with Bregman going seventh to the Red Sox. Two weeks later, Swanson had moved to the top of the board. By early June, MLB Pipeline had Swanson and Bregman going first and second, in that order, in each of its final two mocks.
When Draft day arrived, the Diamondbacks made Swanson the first college shortstop to be taken with the top overall pick since the Padres took Bill Almon in 1974. The Astros took Bregman with the No. 2 pick. Swanson signed for $6.5 million and Bregman for $5.9 million, easily the two largest bonuses in the class.
Prospect status
Bregman has always played with a chip on his shoulder. At LSU, he wore No. 30 to remember the 30 Major League teams that passed on him in the first round of the Draft out of high school. With the Astros, he wore No. 2 to mark being passed over for Swanson as the top pick, after firmly believing he was the best player in the Draft.
The Astros always hoped Bregman would be available to them at No. 2. Mike Elias, the current Orioles GM and Houston’s scouting director at the time, later said this to MLB.com:
“Since the College Classic at Minute Maid Park [where LSU played in March 2015], we had some scouting personnel that were immediately infatuated with him. Really, he was our guy from the middle of the spring [and] forward. We were a little higher on Alex Bregman than the publications. We like Dansby Swanson, but we did have Alex Bregman over him on our board.”
Swanson spent only five months with Arizona before being traded to the Braves in a package for pitcher Shelby Miller. He began the 2016 season at High-A, while Bregman began that year at Double-A. Meanwhile, consensus was evolving in regards to their prospect status.
In MLB Pipeline’s 2015 midseason rankings, Swanson was ranked No. 12 and Bregman No. 27. By early 2016, Swanson was ranked No. 8 and Bregman inched up to No. 22. By mid-season 2016, Bregman claimed the No. 1 ranking, with Swanson ranked fifth.
That final flip was emblematic of Bregman’s ascent. While Swanson moved quickly and steadily through the system, Bregman surged, turning elite bat-to-ball skills, strike-zone control and edge into top-of-the-list production. The duo then made their MLB debuts within three weeks of one another in late July and mid-August 2016.
A decade later, with five All-Star appearances, three World Series titles and three Gold Glove Awards between them, the two are teammates in Chicago.