How the Philadelphia Phillies Could Fit Alec Bohm into the Everyday Lineup - Sports Illustrated

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The Philadelphia Phillies are facing a conundrum when it comes to fitting all of their best bats into the same lineup, and Alec Bohm is holding the short end of the stick early on.

Put plainly, Bohm is a poor defender at third base. This was a widely known aspect of his game well before he made three errors in the same contest against the Mets last week. The third baseman even forwent Winter Ball activity this past offseason, and instead stayed in Clearwater (pre-lockout) in effort to continue working on his glove.

The expectation has never been that Bohm will develop into anything other than an average-or-below glove at the hot corner. The Phillies' goal was seemingly to aid him in locking down the routine plays, in hopes that he could be passable at third for the coming season. This would, hopefully, allow his bat to offset his negative production defensively.

Things have not looked good early on from the 'routine plays' aspect, but Bohm's bat has indeed sparked to life early in 2022. He is 7-for-11 in his first at-bats of the season, totaling a .636 average alongside a 1.406 OPS.

At a time where the Phillies offense is off to a tepid start, they could really use a bat like his in the starting nine more often than not.

Right now, Johan Camargo is stealing the third base spotlight (and the affection of the Phillies manager) with his plus glove and decent offensive production. He has admittedly looked exceptional defensively. That being said, there is truly no comparison between these two players offensively. In terms of ceiling, Bohm has Camargo beat by a long shot.

However, in order to reach that lofty ceiling, Alec Bohm will need to see consistent at-bats against Major League pitching. The Phillies must find a way to make that work if they're to have any hope in fully developing him.

So, how could Manager Joe Girardi fit him into the every day lineup?

Option One: Let him fail

Let Bohm fail. Let him make these mistakes, and hope that he'll learn from them. More often than not, it is probably going to hurt, but there is simply no other way to give a developing player the time to hone their skills at the highest level of competition.

There is also the matter of Bohm's future trade value. Whether or not the Phillies organization sees a place for the third baseman long-term, there is little-to-no value gained from sending him down to the Minor Leagues.

But, if Bohm proves that his 2020 season was not a fluke, and shows out offensively at the Major League level–other MLB clubs will certainly take notice.

Option Two: An unusual platoon

The Phillies could take a situational approach with this technique, but the premise begins with Alec Bohm starting at third base every day. As the game goes on, he can be subbed out for Johan Camargo in any given situation, whether that be analytic-based, or even leverage-based.

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For example, if a certain game proves particularly offense-heavy and the lead is comfortable, leave Bohm in.

If a game is particularly close, allow Camargo to take Bohm's place, ensuring minimal defensive mishaps.

Regardless, once Bohm takes what would be perceived as his final at-bat in any given game, he should always be supplanted by Camargo, as to avoid any late-inning blowups.

This strategy plays to both players particular strengths, and still allots a fair amount of playing time to each.

The Phillies could also consider a typical righty-lefty platoon, but that would once again leave Bohm short of time given the abundance of right-handed pitching in the majors today.

Option Three: Try him in a new spot... or two

The Phillies have taken this approach before, and no one out there needs to be reminded of Rhys Hoskins' time in left field–but Alec Bohm is not Rhys Hoskins.

Alec Bohm is a truly athletic individual, and he boasts a decent throwing arm. It stands to reason that he would succeed in a corner outfield position, much like the shift that Colorado's Kris Bryant has made in the latter half of his career.

The problem? The Phillies signed two corner outfielders/designated hitters in Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber this offseason, so starting spots are limited in the outfield. Plus, Bohm starting out there likely means that you're missing one of either Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, or Kyle Schwarber in the lineup that day–not ideal.

The Phillies could look to Alec Bohm as a first base replacement for Rhys Hoskins, who will reach free agency in 2024, but that doesn't exactly fix their immediate issue.

Perhaps, if Alec were to float between these three positions on days where their respective occupants needed some rest, there could inly enough playing time for him? It wouldn't consist of a starter's workload, but at least you're fitting his bat in as often as possible.

Regardless of which option (if any) the Phillies choose, the fact remains that Alec Bohm must begin to see consistent playing time–whether that be to up his trade value, or aid him along in his development.

He gives the Phillies their best chance to win at the plate, and on a team where defense has taken a back seat, they might as well fully commit.

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