It was early May 2018 and Alex Bregman, the Houston Astros’ star third baseman, had only one home run on the season. His teammate Justin Verlander, one of the best pitchers of this generation, noticed Bregman’s low power and hints of fatigue, and asked how many hours Bregman had slept the night before.

Six, Bregman answered. And his normal amount? Six, as well.

The responses bewildered Verlander. He promptly told Bregman, 25, that he slept at least 10 hours a night and said Bregman should start getting more hours himself.

“I felt like that’s overdoing it,” Bregman said. “You shouldn’t sleep that much.

“Then I started sleeping that much and, next thing you know, I hit 30 homers after that.”

If Verlander doesn’t throw another pitch, he has a strong case for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame: He is an eight-time All-Star, won the 2011 American League M.V.P. and Cy Young Awards, and helped the Astros to the 2017 World Series title.