After all the talk recently about how bad the pitching staff, namely the bullpen, has been, but the Phillies have some big holes in the lineup as well. Reinforcements are on the way in the form of Alec Bohm, the Phillies No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He’s been getting reps at the satellite location in Lehigh Valley, but reports out of there are slim.
Bohm’s calling card is going to be his bat. While he has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order power threat for this team, his awareness and discipline at the plate doesn’t match a typical hitter of that profile. Bohm had a strikeout to walk ratio of 73/57, which is super impressive for any player, let alone a player who’s potentially a 25-30 HR guy in the majors.
Bohm is really unlike any bat in the minor leagues today. While, as mentioned, he has the build and the potential of a big time power threat, Bohm is a contact machine. As evident by the aforementioned K/BB numbers, Bohm is incredibly patient at the plate and has no issue hitting with two strikes. When trying to find a comparison for him, I keep going back to Matt Carpenter. Like Carpenter, Bohm has a very compact swing that travels in the zone for a long time, allowing him to cover the entire plate.
Bohm uses the entire field at the plate, making it nearly impossible for teams to utilize the shift against him. In my opinion, most major league hitter’s real power is to the opposite field gap, and for Bohm, it is no exception. Bohm hits the ball where it is pitched, which is a much different approach than a lot of guys currently on the roster. The Phillies, minus Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, and Adam Haseley, really struggle going the opposite way with pitches. Bohm makes hitting the ball to the opposite field look effortless.
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To me, if you are bringing him up now, he’s going to get at bats. The question is where will he get them. While many expected early on that most of his at bats would be at DH, the struggles of Rhys Hoskins, Scott Kingery and Jean Segura open up defensive playing time for him. He was drafted as a third baseman, and has worked tirelessly to improve over at the hot corner. That being said, he still is a bad defender and will make errors from time to time. Being a 6’5 third baseman is no easy feat, but Bohm’s incredible work ethic have allowed him a shot to be able to stick there. If not playing third, Bohm taking some reps at first away from Hoskins seems like the next best thing.
I don’t think he will stick at third for his entire career, but his bat plays anywhere he does.
Bohm is a really hardworking kid who will fit well in this franchise and city. Adding him to the middle of this lineup makes them more dangerous, and gives them another bat to drive in runs.
If Hoskins, Kingery and Segura didn’t feel the pressure before this morning, they sure do now. If they don’t start producing, Bohm is here to take their spot. Once he gets a chance at either third or first, I don’t see Bohm giving it back.
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