Philadelphia Phillies: Alec Bohm taking reps at first base

With the MLB’s “Spring Training 2.0” now fully underway, the Philadelphia Phillies have begun taking part in some intrasquad scrimmages. Pitting teammates against teammates, intrasquad games have long been a way for teams to simulate real-life matchups, without the hassle of playing another team. Considering the large concern that is COVID-19 currently, the last thing ball clubs want to be doing is meeting up with other organizations.

During this past Friday afternoon’s matchup, Joe Girardi and the Phillies made a decision that raised a few eyebrows. According to Matt Gelb of the Athletic, highly rated Phillies prospect Alec Bohm was taking reps at first base.

Bohm is currently the Phillies top rated minor league prospect, and is ranked 30th on the MLB’s “Top 100 Baseball Prospects” list. Debuting back in 2016, Bohm has spent a majority of his time in the minor league system playing at third base. Bohm possesses some wicked power at the plate, but has struggled at times when it comes to playing the field. Standing at 6-5, 225lbs, Bohm isn’t the most nimble of athletes when it comes to defending the hot corner.

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Prior to the 2020 season, the general belief was that the Phillies front office really wanted to make a Hoskins-Bohm infield partnership work. Bohm would definitely need some time to work on his defense, but with Jean Segura making the transition to third base this offseason, there wasn’t any major rush. However, with the introduction of the new universal DH rule, the Phillies could be looking at abandoning that plan altogether.

Hoskins isn’t the best fielder himself, in fact he posted a career high nine errors at first base last season. Even dating back to when he was first drafted, there’s been serious talks of Hoskins being a natural designated hitter. With Bohm pushing for a starting spot and the DH rule expected to be a fixture in the National League going forward, Hoskins could find himself in that role sooner rather than later.

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Bohm likely won’t be a day one starter in 2020, but the Phillies would be foolish to not incorporate him at all during this shortened season. Approaching 24 years of age, the righty slugger should be a permanent fixture in the lineup by the end of the year. Considering Bohm is taking reps at both third and first, Girardi might get creative in how he utilizes all the team’s best hitters.

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