Alec Bohm Gets a Pass

It’s a classic narrative in sports: the savior of an organization that’s supposed to jumpstart a new era and finally lead to a winning season! Flash forward a few years later, that player’s done or potentially getting moved. (*cough* *cough* Carson Wentz *cough*)

Baseball has its fair share of supposed saviors-gone-busts and the Philadelphia Phillies are no different, which leads us to Alec Bohm.

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On Monday night, in the series opener against the hated New York Mets, Bohm committed three errors manning the hot corner, so when the fans sarcastically cheered for him making a play, Bohm said “I f***ing hate this place.”

And to be honest, I can’t fault him for how he feels. Philadelphia is a fanbase that wants to see its players work hard so when they don’t (*cough* *cough* Ben Simmons *cough*) we as fans will try to, shall we say, light a spark, so to an outsider Philly fans can come across as absolute assholes.

And to Bohm’s credit, he owned up to it and apologized, and I believe him. Since he was drafted third overall in 2018, Bohm has been billed as the heir to the Mike Schmidt mantle of third base.

For God’s sake the dude stands at 6’5” and 225 pounds. It’s logical for the Phillies to assume that he can feast on ground balls but for whatever reason, the defensive side hasn’t clicked.

According to BaseballReference.com, Bohm committed 15 errors at third base in 2021 through 103 games at the position. Now, he’s already got three through only two games. Not a good pace at all, but there’s good news.

The Phillies still have 158 games to go and his offensive game is fantastic. Through six at-bats, Bohm got three hits, two of them doubles, and drawn three walks with 0 strikeouts. That’s the Bohm the Phillies need. The guy who can deliver power from time to time and stretches small hits into extra bases.

Sitting at 3-1, this team is not in any desperation to move Bohm, nor should it be. Bryson Stott showed glimpses through the first series against the Oakland Athletics, collecting two hits including an RBI double, but Stott is still raw, which gives Bohm time to solidify his spot as the team’s starting third baseman.

Bohm’s just a frustrated young player that’s trying to find his groove. It’s a moment of frustration that I’m sure has been said by countless players, but was just never caught on camera.

Also, who else hasn’t said “I f***ing hate this place” at their job?