Alec Bohm: Phillies 2019 Minor League Player Of The Year

At the Futures Game in July, Alec Bohm joked that his biggest improvement in 2019 had come off the field.

“I’ve gotten good at packing,” the 6-foot-5 third baseman said.

Bohm opened the season in the South Atlantic League, quickly moved to the Florida State League—where he stayed just long enough to be a midseason all-star—then headed for the Eastern League. At his current rate of advancement, it’s not difficult to envision him packing for Philadelphia some time in 2020. Third base is wide open. The club gave up on Maikel Franco in August. Scott Kingery took over at third but is seen as the second baseman of the future.

A number of players in the Phillies’ system, from power hitter Darick Hall to catcher Deivy Grullon, to pitchers Damon Jones, Spencer Howard and Addison Russ, had standout seasons, but no one shined more than Bohm, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018.

“Day in and day out, he’s continued to show why the organization believed in him,” director of player development Josh Bonifay said. “His ability to command the strike zone and do damage on pitches is impressive. You make a mistake, whether it’s on the heater or a breaking ball, and he’ll hit it hard somewhere. He’s a line-drive hitter who drives the ball with carry. He uses the whole field. He’s fun to watch.”

Bohm, who turned 23 in August, slashed .307/.378/.524 with 20 homers and 75 RBIs in his first 115 games at three levels in 2019. He’s continued to show the plate discipline (52 walks, 68 strikeouts in 497 plate appearances) that impressed Phillies officials when he was at Wichita State.

Bohm had a tough time in short-season ball in 2018. He struggled at the plate then missed time with a leg injury after taking a ball off the knee. He got back on track quickly this season.

“Last year, I started out slow then wanted to hit four home runs with one swing and you can’t do that,” he said. “The offseason allowed me to regroup. I was thinking a lot last year, trying to make changes where I didn’t need to make changes. This year, I’ve been keeping it simple and it’s worked for me.”