Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm is off to a bad start after an offseason filled with trade rumors. Bohm was widely considered a trade candidate for most of the offseason. However, the Phillies have kept him on their roster. Bohm has a .160/.176/.180 line with no home runs and three RBI in 11 games, along with a -1 wRC+ and a -0.5 fWAR. Bohm has a .161 wOBA and a .200 BABIP this season. Willson Contreras is the lone qualified player with a worse wRC+ and fWAR than Bohm. Additionally, Dylan Crews has a worse wRC+ and the same fWAR as Bohm heading into Friday’s action. Bohm has a chance to get back on track, though. It is very early in the regular season, so there is time to turn things around.
Bad Start For Alec Bohm Impacting Phillies Lineup
Could Be Bad Luck
This season, Bohm has a 19.6% strikeout rate and a 2.0% walk rate. That is tied for the worst walk rate among qualified players who have been walked at least once. It is worth noting that Bohm has a .180 SLG compared to a .442 xSLG, as well as a .161 wOBA compared to a .314 xwOBA this season. He could be merely unlucky so far based on those numbers. Baseball Savant ranks Bohm in the 60th percentile for xSLG and the 45th percentile for xWOBA. He has a better barrel percentage and a better hard-hit ball percentage than last season so far. Furthermore, Bohm has a career-best 88.9% contact rate this season while having a 50.6% swing rate. Bohm ranks in the 62nd percentile in barrel rate, according to Baseball Savant.
Changes Made to the Batting Order
Bohm moved to the seventh spot in the order for Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. Nick Castellanos hit cleanup instead. Normally, Bohm bats third against a left-handed starting pitcher and fourth against a right-handed starting pitcher. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber platoon in the leadoff spot, which is why there is a difference. Turner batting leadoff means Bohm hits third, while Schwarber batting leadoff means Bohm hits fourth. Bohm should remain in the seventh or eighth spot in the lineup for the time being. Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh currently hit eighth and ninth. Having Bohm bat in between them to spread out the left-handed batters would not be the worst idea.
Bohm’s Impact On Team Performance
The bad start to the season for Bohm has impacted the Phillies’ performance as a whole. Edmundo Sosa is off to a hot start, but Bohm is expected to remain in the lineup, as manager Rob Thomson told MLB.com reporter Todd Zolecki. Kody Clemens has barely played this season, with only two plate appearances in two games. Given that Clemens is a left-handed batter, it is unlikely he would primarily fill in if Bohm is benched. Bohm has hurt the Phillies by grounding into three double plays this season and not showing patience in at-bats. On April 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he grounded into a game-ending double play after swinging at the first pitch. If he is going to climb out of this hole, Bohm needs to be more patient, like some of his teammates have been.
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