Stay or Go- Is Alec Bohm Still the Phillies Future at 3rd?

The Phillies season is over. After finishing with the 2nd best record in baseball, they were the first of the teams who earned the bye week to be sent home. The Mets ran right over them, the way the Phillies had run over the Braves the past two year. Guys like Alec Bohm, JT Realmuto, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber, were mostly no-shows. The bullpen imploded. And now it is over.

Its leaves the question of what do they do next. Do they blow it up? Will this roster be shaken up after yet another playoff choke?

We are going to run through some of the names on this roster whose future here looks murky. Leaving out the names that will obviously stay like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and others who are locked up long-term.

To start, we will go with the guy who might have seen the fewest pitches of any player in the playoffs, despite producing a ton of outs. Alec Bohm.

Bohm was amazing in the first half of the season, particularly in April where his OPS was 1.078. But in August, September, and then in their short playoff stint, he ranged from mediocre to awful.

Bohm had 1 walk and 1 in 14 playoff at-bats. Even worse, he barely saw any pitches, going down in the 1st or 2nd pitch of nearly every at-bat. But that was not the start of his struggles. In September his slash was .170/.204/.298/.502. He has only 3 extra-base hits since August 13th. The guy who was a doubles machine in the first half had no power to speak of over a nearly 3-month span.

It led to him getting benched in a playoff game. This was not like Thomson sitting Marsh, Stott, or Rojas, who were platooned all year long. Bohm never got sat all season because of matchup reasons, only for rest or injury. It was a deliberate choice by Topper. He said he liked the energy Sosa brought to the lineup. That tells you something about Sosa, but it also tells you Thomson did not like the energy Bohm was bringing.

Why would you? Over that whole span of struggling Bohm was acting like a little leaguer. Slamming his bat and helmet anytime he got out. Players occasionally get upset. We have seen many great players throw tantrums in the dugout during a slump. But with Bohm, the pouting became a regular occurrence. He was less like a frustrated big leaguer, and more like a toddler who was just told he couldn't have any more candy.

Even worse, he didn't respond. He got benched but then was used as a pinch hitter early. He popped up the first pitch he saw and then popped up the second pitch he saw his next at-bat. Thomson gave him a lifeline. He showed trust in Bohm, giving him a chance to redeem himself. But Bohm failed to take advantage. A damning statement on him as a Major League player.

Bohm was amazing in his rookie season, albiet it was a shortened season. Since then, he has been struggling to live up to that.

He has had a Slugging % under .400 in 14 of his 25 months here. He had an OPS under the league average in 13 of his 25 months here, leaving out months where the sample size was only a couple of games. That is over half his time here being a below-average player. Even in the last two years, he was below league average in 7 of the 12 months.

Even worse, he has been terrible in the playoffs. His career slash line in the postseason is .214/.295/.333/.629. That is not just bad, it is awful. The only regular Phillies player with a worse postseason OPS than him over that time is Bryson Stott. As bad as JT has been in the playoffs, Bohm has been worse.

Which brings us to the question of the piece? Does he stay, or does he go?

Alec Bohm is perhaps the 1 movable contract you can get something for. As bad as he was over the last 3 months, he was an All-Star and was near the top of the league in doubles. If you want to shake things up, but also get something back, he is the guy you move.

But who do you replace him with? Alex Bregman? He will cost more and could block Miller down the lineup, but he would be an upgrade for next season. Edmundo Sosa? We have seen that when he gets extended playing time he is exposed. Paul DeJong is an improvement in the field but is a complete loss at the plate. He would be another automatic out.

There could be a trade option. But outside of Bregman, there is no clear replacement for Bohm available this offseason. Aidan Miller is at least a year away, probably 2. So Bohm might be back.

But his future here is absolutely in question. Jayson Stark joined The Best Show ever before game 4 and talked about the murky future of Bohm in Philly.

"That path at third base between this moment in time and when Aidan Miller is ready is fascinating to me because they just benched Alec Bohm in the second game of the postseason. It's going to be hard to forget that. It's telling us a little bit about what they think of this player. Like you tell me, would you bring Alec Bohm back? I don't know if they know the answer."

Stark went on to say there might not be another option. But for the first time, his future here is in doubt. it may not be this offseason, but he may not be in their long-term plans unless something changes. He is a free agent in a couple of seasons. He will get a decent contract. It might not be the Phillies paying him though.

Alec Bohm might stay because they don't have another option. If they can't land Bregamn, the other free-agent options are bleak, and they don't have anyone in the farm ready to play 3rd next year.

But it feels like Bohm is certainly no longer in favor here. That benching was a clear message to him, and his poor response was the answer. He is not the long-term option at 3rd unless something changes. He could be the short-term due to a lack of better options, but he himself is not a good option.

His own answer when asked about his future was far from inspiring.

Bohm is 28 now. He is not a young growing player, he is a veteran who continues to underperform. You can look at his season numbers and say he had a decent season. But look deeper, and he has been an average to below-average player more often than not.

Verdict: Stay, for now

After the Philadelphia Phillies broke a long playoff drought with a wild card berth in the MLB Playoffs in 2022, the city suddenly remembered the euphoria of postseason baseball at Citizens Bank Park.

An unexpected run from the sixth seed in the National League reignited Red October like nobody could've expected after 11 years of disappointment.

The Phillies swept the St. Louis Cardinals in "Baseball Heaven" to get things started. They stunned the heavily favored Atlanta Braves and convinced an entire fan base to believe.

The incredible momentum continued through a dramatic series win against the San Diego Padres to clinch the National League pennant.

Although they couldn't finish off the Houston Astros in the World Series, the city of Philadelphia will always remember the 2022 Phillies for a miracle October ride that coincided with success for the Eagles, Union, Flyers, and 76ers during the best month in Philadelphia sports history.

Relive the whirlwind of an unforgettable October with rally towels waving in the autumn air, the tension of living and dying with every pitch, and one of the best runs in Phillies franchise history.

October 7, 2022
National League Wild Card Series Game 1 at Busch Stadium
Phillies 6, St. Louis Cardinals 3

October 14-15, 2022
National League Division Series, Games 3-4 at Citizens Bank Park
Phillies 9, Atlanta Braves 1; Phillies 8, Atlanta Braves 3

October 18, 2022
National League Championship Series Game 1 at Petco Park
Phillies 2, San Diego Padres 0

October 23, 2022
National League Championship Series Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park
Phillies 4, San Diego Padres 3

October 28, 2022
World Series Game 1 at Minute Maid Park
Phillies 6, Houston Astros 5

November 1, 2022
World Series Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park
Phillies 7, Houston Astros 0