CLEARWATER — Charlie Manuel leaned on the batting cage at BayCare Ballpark, while Larry Bowa fired batting practice to a group of Philadelphia Phillies hitters. It was a scene you could have scene at Spring Training in 2013, and the same will probably be true still in 2033.
In 2023, the two franchise mainstays are especially encouraged by what they’ve seen from Alec Bohm as he enters his fourth Major League season.
“Unbelievable improvement,” Bowa said of Bohm. “I think you have to give Alec credit and [infield coach] Bobby [Dickerson] credit. He works extremely hard, he pays attention to detail. He’s a complete player … he’s gonna hit … [he’s made] drastic strides in the last two years … unbelievable.”
By now, you surely know the story of Bohm defensively. He overcame the now-infamous “I f—— hate this place” incident early in the 2022 season and generally got over whatever yips may have existed in terms of throwing to first base. The 26-year-old is an excellent athlete, so he’ll have moments of brilliance at third base, like he did in the NLWCS against the St. Louis Cardinals last season.
But the -17 defensive runs saved and -9 outs above average that Bohm posted across 1,146 regular season innings at third base a year ago suggest that the field will never be where his value truly lies.
After a disappointing second season, Bohm rebounded offensively in 2022, slashing .280/.315/.398 with 13 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .713 OPS. That’s pretty good production, but Bohm gives you glimpses of being an All-Star caliber hitter. Last July, he hit .434 with a 1.088 OPS, continuing to demonstrate the ability to hit the ball to the opposite field, but also beginning to pull the ball with the most authority he had ever displayed.
No one is suggesting that Bohm should become a three-true-outcomes hitter, where he either hits a home run, walks or strikes out. But virtually every time that Bohm hits a home run, it travels 400+ feet. He’s hit 24 home runs in his first 1,126 Major League at-bats. Is it fair to think that Bohm will one day hit home runs at a higher clip?
“I do,” Bowa acknowledged. “He’s starting to learn how to pull the ball inside. I don’t think there’s a ceiling for him. I’d say 20-25 home runs. And I don’t want to say that’s low, but he’s capable. Baby steps. He’s a good hitter, too. It’s not just that he hits home runs.”
Manuel believes Bohm possesses quite a bit of power, but doesn’t view him as a power hitter necessarily.
“He has a chance, but he is a line drive hitter,” Manuel said. “Is he capable of hitting 40 home runs? Yeah. He will be a 25-40 [home runs per year] guy, but he might hit 40 and come back the next year and hit 25. But he’ll have a high average, high on-base percentage and be knocking in and scoring runs.”
When asked what hitter Bohm reminds him of, Manuel said that the former No. 3 overall pick has some similar qualities to Werth. Along those lines, Werth peaked at 36 home runs in 2009, but that was sandwiched in between seasons that saw him hit 24 and 27 home runs respectively.
Werth led the National League in doubles in 2010, and received down-ballot NL MVP votes in 2013 and 2014. His value was never tied to trying to lead the league in home runs, even if he sometimes ended up with one of the highest totals. He was a complete hitter. And perhaps that’s what the best-case scenario is for Bohm.
“He’s so strong,” Bowa said. “He can hit balls to right center. He doesn’t have to try to hit home runs. When he squares it up, it’s gonna go.”
The Nuggets
- Phillies manager Rob Thomson will speak to the media after Saturday afternoon’s Grapefruit League game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. At that point, we’ll know more about the status of Andrew Painter.
- As of Friday evening, there wasn’t anything new to report on reliever Gregory Soto, who hasn’t been able to join the Phillies in Clearwater yet as he deals with visa issues.
- Thomson says that his understanding is that J.T. Realmuto and Will Smith will alternate games behind the plate for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
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