As I sit here watching tonight’s Phillies-Mets matchup I’m noticing one thing: Alec Bohm looks comfortable at third base. We all remember his brutal three error display early in the season. And we all remember his refreshing honesty later that night. But one thing we seem to have neglected lately is that Alec Bohm has been solid at third base the past few weeks.
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Bohm has historically struggled at the hot corner, where he has a difficult time maneuvering his 6’5” frame on sharply hit balls. Over the past three seasons it hasn’t been out of the ordinary to see grounders clank off of Bohm’s mitt. However, the Phillies’ new infield coach, Bobby Dickerson, seems to have unlocked something in him.
Alec Bohm will never be Nolan Arenado. Alec Bohm will probably never even be Pedro Feliz at the hot corner. But the Phillies don’t need him to be Arenado. They just need him to not lose games for them, and that’s what he’s been doing in recent weeks. Bohm has gotten pretty adept at keeping the ball in front of him and not rushing his throws. In the fourth inning of tonight’s contest Bohm made an excellent diving stop of a Mark Canha scorcher down the line, saving a run from scoring. He also added a spectacularly well-timed stolen base off of Adam Ottavino in the top of the seventh, further showing his improved athleticism. Overall, Bohm has yet to commit another error since his disastrous performance weeks ago.
Alec Bohm has shown significant improvement in the past few weeks and that excellent news for the Phillies. With Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins off to sputtering starts, Bohm has been able to pick up a bit of the slack. And with his iron glove at third softening a bit, Bohm has been able to see largely everyday playing time throughout April. Phillies fans should be breathing a bit easier these days with Alec Bohm looking much more comfortable at third base.