Philadelphia Phillies: Hits leader Alec Bohm is finding ways to produce
By Tim Boyle
Does anyone else not know exactly what to make of Alec Bohm? The starting third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies gave us two very different seasons in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he has yet a new example of what he can and cannot do.
This season should be his most complete year in the majors by the time it’s over with. Hopefully, we will soon get a clearer picture of exactly the type of player he is.
In a strange twist no one probably expected, Bohm is leading the Phillies in hits with 102 base knocks and doing it while splitting the difference between years one and two of his career. It’s not great. It’s ugly at times. But it is a promising turn for a career that went from a bull to a bear market in only one season. On a roster with sluggers who can’t hit for much average, Bohm actually is.
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm is becoming a contributor at the plate.
Third base is a strange position in baseball. You can have everyone from Mike Schmidt to Placido Polanco and feel happy. Speaking of happy, Pedro Feliz wasn’t a bad choice either.
Not all third basemen need to be big power hitters or even guys in the middle of the order. Bohm’s fading major league power suggests he’s probably better suited to hit seventh or lower in an ideal Phillies lineup.
We know all of the bad things Bohm does. He doesn’t draw very many walks. The 21 home runs he hit in the minors during the 2019 campaign were an outlier, and it was the 158 plate appearances in 2018 without a home run that is far more realistic.
The soon-to-be 26-year-old is far from an ideal third baseman in every which way. However, as the first member of this year’s Philadelphia Phillies club to reach 100 hits and the current leader, at least he is serving a purpose.
Finding a place to play Bohm is certainly the greatest challenge. You don’t want him as your DH because he doesn’t hit for quite enough power or all that consistently. The same goes for moving him over to first base. Again, unless he starts hitting for more pop, it’s a bit of a waste.
Maybe the best solution for a player like Bohm is a platoon. He has been very effective versus lefty pitchers this year. Paired with the right lefty bat, maybe they can do some damage together.
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Maybe Bohm’s future will have him following a similar path as Nick Castellanos. He, too, started off as a poor fielding third baseman with average power. Castellanos did find his home run stroke, although he has been more of a doubles hitter in his career. Maybe it’s a corner outfield spot lying ahead for him in his Philadelphia Phillies future.