Amid their wildly streaky season, the Chicago Cubs could use more of the elite power-hitting Alex Bregman possesses. Unfortunately, the 10-year MLB veteran has almost turned up empty so far.

Though Bregman has been hitting better recently, it’s nowhere near his 41-homer season. Since his elite 2019 season, the 32-year-old’s power-hitting numbers have gone on a downward slope. So, what is troubling Bregman? Statcast data shows a gradual decline in his bat speed. In a conversation with Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Bregman addressed concerns about his bat speed. And its impact on his performance, while admitting he needs to work on his mechanics.

“Yeah, I’m putting the ball in the air more. I am,” Bregman agreed with Sharma when asked about clocking more hits recently. “Lotta work to be done.”

Bregman had a slow start to the season, but recently, he has been recording hits more regularly. However, his power hits are few and far between. Bregman has recorded only 14 extra-base hits, including 5 homers, so far. And despite his bat speed declining to 69.7 mph this season, Bregman believes his mechanics are the real reason behind his lack of power hitting.

“I really don’t think bat speed has anything to do with it. I think mechanics are everything, to be honest,” noted Bregman, per The Athletic. “I actually think I can move the bat faster, and I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been in my entire career. The year I focused on bat speed in 2024 was the worst of my career.”

Bregman’s bat speed has suffered a gradual drop from 71.3 in 2024 to its current state. He pointed out that even though he swung the bat faster in 2024, he suffered his worst season ever and recorded his lowest career wRC+. He explained how a change in his mechanics has helped him hit better (.323 in the last 7 games). The third baseman revealed he is now staying “stacked behind” balls.

This means keeping his weight back so he can use his legs and lower body to swing hard. And not just swinging with his arms. A technique he followed during his initial years in MLB.

“The more I focus on staying back and staying stacked on my backside, swinging off my back leg, the better the results have been this year,” the player stated. “This year, I’ve kind of been doing the same thing. Going forward and not staying stacked on the backside. I’m not moving connected.”

Throughout the conversation, Bregman has stuck to the point that bat speed is not the driving factor behind getting more extra-base hits. Neither is the pitch type. It’s the mechanics that he needs to correct.

“It doesn’t really matter. In my opinion, precision beats power,” told Bregman, per Sharma. “If I beat a guy to the spot and spin the ball correctly on any pitch that he throws, I should hit the ball out of the ballpark.”

This is not the first time Bregman has needed to fix his swing in the middle of a season. Back in 2024 with the Houston Astros, he had the same problem. He hit only one home run through the end of April that year. But he spent the summer fixing his swing, and it worked. He then hit 19 home runs in the second half of the season.

The Cubs really need him to do that again right now. His lack of home runs is directly hurting the team’s offense. And with the batters not scoring enough, the pressure falls on the pitchers. The injured pitching staff needs to be perfect almost every night.

The Cubs finished May with a 13-16 record, despite a 10-game winning streak. It’s good that Bregman has identified his problem areas. As his team started June with a 5-1 loss to the Cardinals, Bregman needs to spend time in the batting cage and step up for his team. With four months left in the regular season, he will have plenty of time to address his shortcomings.

Meanwhile, an MLB analyst has highlighted the Cubs’ biggest problem area.

MLB analyst points to the Cubs’ pitching problem

Fresh out of a winning streak, the Chicago Cubs slid right into a 10-game losing streak. They undid all the progress to hold the current 32-28 record. As the Cubs repeatedly go hot and cold, Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM and 670thescore.com has pointed out their biggest problem this season: the pitching.

The Cubs are an average team right now,” Levine said on 104.3 The Score on June 1, 2026. “There’s no other way you can look at them. They’re not a bad team. They can step it up and play better baseball. The offense has stuttered along the way. The pitching in the long run is the main concern.”

Pitching injuries have heavily impacted the Cubs. They are missing Justin Steele and Cade Horton for the season. Matthew Boyd is still in rehab. Jameson Taillon (5.37 ERA) and Edward Cabrera (4.06 ERA) are holding the fort down.

Collectively, the Cubs have a 4.19 ERA. But it’s their home run count that’s concerning. They have surrendered 82 homers so far, and are behind only two teams, the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals.

Their two winning streaks prove that the Cubs have the potential to be better. However, in baseball’s toughest division, they have no room for further slumps.