Astros' Bregman was 'pissed' D-Backs passed on him in 2015 draft

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has a chip on his shoulder.

Bregman was selected by the Astros second overall in the 2015 amateur draft, but that wasn't good enough for the budding MVP candidate.

"I was super happy to come to a good organization like the Astros, an organization that was up-and-coming," Bregman told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. "But, yeah, I was pissed. I wanted to be the No. 1 overall pick. Part of the reason I wear (uniform) No. 2 is because of that."

Drafted as a shortstop, he wasn't even the first at that position to be selected. The Arizona Diamondbacks chose Dansby Swanson out of Vanderbilt and later sent him to the Atlanta Braves as part of the Shelby Miller deal.

Coming off his first All-Star appearance - not to mention a World Series championship - Bregman has cemented himself as one of baseball's most exciting young players, and has helped the Astros keep pace in the AL with several injuries limiting key contributors like Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and George Springer. The 24-year-old has met the challenge, batting .295/.401/.553 with 30 home runs and a major-league leading 50 doubles in 145 games.

And yet, the Diamondbacks apparently weren't interested in him.

"Not at all," Bregman said. "They were Swanson all the way. The Astros, on the other hand, were the other way around. My agent asked a lot of the teams and it was pretty much 50/50."