Alec Bohm ‘seems like a different guy’ to Phillies coaches
Alec Bohm was at the center of trade rumors all offseason, and at one point it seemed as though he would be playing for a new team in 2025.
Those trade rumors were somewhat shot down by Rob Thomson in December. The Phillies manager said the club wasn’t shopping Bohm. They were talking to other teams about him. But only because teams were calling the Phillies to inquire about the 2024 All-Star.
Now, after an offseason filled with speculation, Bohm, 28, is in Clearwater, still a Phillie.
On Wednesday, Thomson talked with reporters and discussed Bohm.
“I haven’t seen him today, but I talked to him yesterday,” Thomson said about the 28-year-old.
Coaches, like Bobby Dickerson and Paco Figueroa, had been around Bohm for a while, per Thomson, as he was taking ground balls. Those coaches think Bohm has changed.
“They said he’s so positive he seems like a different guy, like he’s grown up again,” Thomson said. “He’s grown up so much since we first brought him to the big leagues. Now, it looks like he’s taken another step. So I’m really excited to see what he can do.”
Bohm has a history of showing his frustration on the field. A bad at-bat could linger with the third baseman, too. At times, he’d make mistakes in the field or during at-bats because of what had happened earlier in a game. He’d lose focus.
In December, Thomson shot down the idea that Bohm was immature. He also said Bohm showing his emotions means he cares.
“I don’t know where that comes from,” Thomson said at the Winter Meetings about Bohm being seen as immature. “But he is an emotional guy. He cares a great deal. So he shows emotion.”
Bohm isn’t the only player to show emotion on the diamond. Watch any game. You’ll see a helmet tossed. A bat thrown. A player yelling at himself. It’s normal. But it’s the lingering frustration for Bohm that has gotten him in trouble in the past. If he can change that aspect of his game, it could go a long way.
Bohm will be important for the Phillies this year. He figures to hit in the middle of their lineup again. But he’ll have to hit for a full six months. He didn’t do that last season. More consistency and not letting the lows last too long at the plate will be important for Bohm, according to Thomson.
After a hot start to 2024, rewarded by being named to his first All-Star team, Bohm cooled considerably over the season’s final months. He dealt with a strain in his left hand in September. It impacted him. Bohm hit .170 with a .502 OPS last September. He went 1-for-13 in the NLDS against the Mets, a series in which he didn’t start Game 2.
Whether or not Bohm has changed won’t be known for a while. Spring camp has just started. Everyone is positive and excited this time of year. Not until he has a bad day, or week, at the plate, pushing him toward an understandable frustration, will we know for sure if Bohm is a different guy.
Bohm’s manager seems to think he’s turned a new leaf, though. And that’s a step in the right direction.
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