The Cubs' lineup has a type. And Alex Bregman is it.
One of the biggest keys to the Cubs' transformation from a middle-of-the-pack offense in 2024 to a powerhouse playoff offense in 2025 was the way the team adopted a pull power approach up and down the lineup.
With Chicago's star sluggers leading the way -- Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and, yes, Kyle Tucker -- the Cubs became the best team in baseball at pulling the ball in the air last season. And it just so happens that pulling the ball in the air is Bregman's signature skill as a hitter.
Now, the three-time All-Star third baseman is joining a Cubs team that just increased their team-wide rate of pulled air contact from only 16.8% of their batted balls in 2024 -- 22nd in the Majors -- to 21.8% of their batted balls in 2025. That was first in the Majors.
Highest pulled airball % as a team, 2025
- Cubs: 21.8%
- Guardians: 21.6%
- Tigers: 20.8%
- Royals: 20.4%
- Dodgers: 19.9%
The Cubs purposely assembled a roster that had the ability to tap into its pull power, and those players executed that approach extremely successfully. PCA, Suzuki, Tucker, Carson Kelly, Michael Busch and Ian Happ all posted strong pulled airball rates last season en route to strong slugging seasons overall.
Bregman, the team's newest marquee addition, fits that philosophy perfectly -- which is a big deal because of how he can help replace Tucker, who also fit that philosophy perfectly. He'll slot into the heart of the Cubs' batting order seamlessly, just like he did with the Red Sox last year.
Bregman has made his career out of being an undersized slugger by taking advantage of the benefits of pulled fly balls.
Since his big league debut in 2016, Bregman has 169 pulled home runs, ninth-most of any hitter, and 358 pulled extra-base hits, sixth-most of any hitter. Importantly for the Cubs, Bregman has also shown he can successfully execute his approach in the postseason. He's hit 18 additional pulled home runs in his playoff career, tied for the most of any player since his debut with longtime teammate Jose Altuve, as well as 28 pulled extra-base hits, second only to Altuve.
Most pulled XBH since 2016 (Bregman's debut)
Regular season + postseason combined
- José Ramírez: 507 (249 HR)
- Mookie Betts: 442 (209 HR)
- Nolan Arenado: 430 (231 HR)
- Jose Altuve: 391 (187 HR)
- Marcus Semien: 388 (189 HR)
- Alex Bregman: 386 (187 HR)
- Francisco Lindor: 383 (206 HR)
- Eugenio Suárez: 329 (184 HR)
- Manny Machado: 326 (195 HR)
- Xander Bogaerts: 314 (127 HR)
Pulling the ball in the air, simply put, is good for slugging. It's the easiest pathway to home runs, which the Cubs hit 53 more of in 2025 (223, sixth-best in MLB) than 2024 (170, T-20 in MLB).
You'll notice that four of the top five teams in pulled air contact last season made it to the postseason: the Cubs, Guardians, Tigers and Dodgers. Two other playoff teams, the Mariners and Yankees, were also in the top 10.
To get to the No. 1 spot, the Cubs increased their pulled airballs by more than any other team, and it wasn't even close. In order to maintain those gains in 2026 and beyond, Saturday's agreement with Bregman on a five-year, $175 million deal will go a long way.
Bregman's right-handed pull power, along with Suzuki's, will help balance the Cubs' lineup opposite lefty sluggers like Crow-Armstrong and Busch. And it would eliminate the gap in that area that would be left should Tucker depart in free agency.
How Bregman's pulled airball % stacked up vs. notable Cubs in 2025
- Pete Crow-Armstrong: 30.2%
- Kyle Tucker: 24.8%
- Alex Bregman: 24.4%
- Seiya Suzuki: 24.3%
- Carson Kelly: 23.9%
- Michael Busch: 22.2%
- Ian Happ: 21.0%
- MLB average: 18.2%
Tucker has been great at pulling the ball in the air for a long time. But Bregman has been great at pulling the ball in the air for an even longer time:
Bregman has been remarkably consistent over the course of his career. About 80% of his career home runs have been pulled, and close to 70% of his career extra-base hits have been pulled.
No matter what timeframe you look at for Bregman -- his whole career, the past few seasons or the 2025 season only -- the results are essentially the same. Bregman is going to drive the ball to left field, and he's going to rack up extra-base hits by doing so.
That's why he's projected for 20-plus home runs and 50-plus extra-base hits once again in 2026. And that's why he's exactly the type of hitter the Cubs wanted.