Alec Bohm and the Promise of Something More
Update: This post was written prior to Alec Bohm leaving Monday night’s game in the 2nd inning with a finger injury.
It’s funny how a game as uniquely human as baseball can be reduced down to a set of numbers. Every moment of triumph, turmoil, and self-doubt permeating this game of failure is tracked, recorded, and filed away. Over a pivotal weekend in St. Louis, the numbers of the first two contests between the Phillies and the Cardinals tell a story – one of the Phillies maintaining their place in the third wild card spot, of Zach Wheeler’s continued brilliance, and that of a team desperately trying to outrun its past – and succeeding. One digit, amongst the hundreds generated from each contest, stands out: 2, the number of home runs Alec Bohm hit in Friday night’s victory.
In the context of Friday night’s game, ‘2’ tells its own story – the possibility of something more. For Alec Bohm, the “eye test” has always been a strange exercise. Insofar as his Major League career, nothing has quite been what it seemed. At first glance, both his lengthy build – 6’5, 218 pounds – and minor league statistics – 21 home runs across three levels in 2019 – are reminiscent of Rockies superstar Kris Bryant. Unlike Bryant, however, the 25-year old’s power numbers – just 17 home runs across 917 big league appearances since then – have failed to develop whatsoever. Even Bohm’s defense, which has always been his biggest flaw, is difficult to read. Smooth hands combined with solid feet and an incredibly strong arm have led to recent flashes of brilliance – all for it not to corroborate with his poor statistical ratings.
All of this isn’t to say, however, that Bohm’s performance – particularly offensively – has been poor by any means. On the contrary, Bohm’s ability to hit for average and drive the ball to all fields has been invaluable to the team and marked a turning point for the young player. After an abysmal 2021 season placed his Opening Day roster spot in jeopardy, Bohm has hit .271 with 6 home runs and 33 RBIs – bolstered largely from hitting .326/.344/.467 with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs in the last 28 days. In doing so, he’s solidified himself as the most productive – and dare I say, exciting – young player on the team, beating out Bryson Stott, Mickey Moniak, and Matt Vierling.
Even still, Bohm’s lack of power raises more questions than answers. Drafted third overall in 2018, with the hope that his 6’5 frame and smooth stroke could develop into a double-digit home run threat, all logical signs have pointed to Bohm growing into the prototypical offensive role for a third baseman. So why hasn’t his power, which he displayed in both college and the minor leagues, failed to develop in his third season at the big league level? Was Friday night’s outburst a sign of things to come or just a blip in the radar?
It’s hard to tell. As enticing as the question is, however, it may not be the most pertinent concern for Bohm at this stage in his career – he’s still only 25 and the Phillies aren’t dependent on his ability to hit for power – yet. What appears to be most critical for Bohm at this current juncture is maintaining a consistent approach that makes the best of his strong plate discipline and ability to hit the ball to all fields. The power, interim manager Rob Thompson says, will come, “It’s there. You watch batting practice and early work and it’s there…He just has to get synced up, and maybe this is the sign of good times to come for him,” said Thomson to the Athletic.
While to take full advantage of his 6’5 frame, Bohm must eventually develop pull-side power – the ability to drive pitches over the middle of the plate into deep left center – both Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long have been reluctant for Bohm to force it, claiming that the young player mustn’t sacrifice his mechanics and will eventually learn how to ‘properly’ pull the ball. What’s interesting about Bohm’s approach this season, however, is how he’s sacrificed exit velocity for productivity in 2022. Last season, in which he hit just .247/.305/.342 over 115 games, Bohm was in the 89th percentile for average exit velocity and the 90th percentile for hard hit rate. This year, Bohm is only in the 65th percentile of average exit velocity and 59th of hard hit rate.
While that might seem like a steep drop off, it’s also correlated with a significant increase in production, especially against fastballs – he hit just .177 off them in 2021 compared to .350 in 2022. Last season, Bohm would allow pitches to travel deep into the zone before making contact, allowing opposing pitchers to attack him relentlessly with fastballs. This season, they’ve had to be more careful. In 2022, Bohm’s seen less fastballs both when behind in the count (59.1%-54.3%) and ahead (69%-65%) – all the while missing on less of the pitches he swings at in the zone (24.8%-17.7%). Most notably, he’s dropped his strikeout rate from 26.6%-20.0%.
While these numbers haven’t resulted in a jump in power for Bohm, it does show an improved ability to at least square up higher velocity pitches. Much work was done by Bohm over the offseason to reclaim the success he had in 2020. A special emphasis was placed on high-speed machine work – improving Bohm’s decision time and hand speed to generate contact on pitches earlier in the zone. Now, it’s just about putting it all together. Bohm’s swing, while quick and compact, isn’t particularly loose – there’s a rigidity to his mechanics that necessitates perfect timing to truly drive the ball. “The swing comes out, but it’s just a tick late. I’m just missing balls here and there. Just working on getting in a strong position on time,” said Bohm of his cage work to the Athletic.
It’s an important step for Bohm and perhaps one of many that he’ll take on the path towards unlocking his natural power. It may be a slow journey, at times painstakingly so, but that’s alright – Bohm’s not built to be the traditional power hitter, he’s meant to be so much more.
Featured Image: Getty Images
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