Has Alec Bohm Played His Last Game in Philadelphia?
As the leaves begin to fade and then fall with autumn’s passing, so do the feelings begin to subside. For a few weeks, it was too much to even think about the Philadelphia Phillies and, much less write about them.
The pain of their recent collapse, a 3-1 drubbing from the then-ascendant New York Mets in the NLDS, was blinding.
Time allows for perspective, however. It lets us look back with a clearer view on what went wrong and what the Phillies, as disturbingly talented a roster they have, might need to adjust moving forward. What failed the Phillies, as it inevitably does with nearly every team that loses in the postseason, was their offense.
Yes, the bullpen’s atrocious 11.37 ERA allowed the Mets to pile on in later innings, effectively putting games out of reach. But it was their offense, the same lineup that had powered them to a 114-win place on June 8, that let them down this October.
In four games against the Mets, the offense mustered just 12 runs.
The team posted a horrific .186 batting average with a .597 OPS, striking out 38 times while walking just 16. They flailed at pitches out of the zone just as often as belt-high fastballs dominated them. In the deciding Game 4 loss, Mets’ starter Jose Quintana threw 90 pitches over five innings while allowing only one unearned run and striking out six. Only 48 of those 90 pitches–approximately 53%–were thrown for strikes. There remain many questions surrounding the offense.
How do they avoid the postseason collapse like they did in the last two years? Is there a personnel change that needs to be made, or should there be just a difference in approach?
One of the biggest question marks leading out of the NLDS is the future of Phillies third-baseman Alec Bohm.
The former number three overall pick, Bohm, was an All-Star in 2024, yet struggled mightily in the second half, posting a meager .299 OBP. Things worsened after suffering a left-hand strain on August 29–he hit just .150 after the injury and went just three for his final 40 at-bats, including a 1-for-13 performance in the NLDS, which saw him get benched for Edmundo Sosa in Game 2.
While Bohm (like much of the rest of the lineup) hit abysmally in the NLDS, his postseason performance is not the reason why he remains a question mark. It’s who he is as a player. At 28, Bohm is entering the second to last year of his contract — but he may have already played his last game as a Phillie.
The Phillies’ holes in their roster are clear: they need to fill left and center field with strong, everyday players. Alec Bohm may be the piece that gets them there.
The issue with Bohm is not one of offensive productivity.
At this point, his game is likely his game: a contact-centric RBI machine (he’s driven in 97 in each of the last two years) who sprays the ball all over the field and displays true gap-to-gap power.
Last season, he hit a career-high 44 doubles. He has not–and perhaps never will–become the 25-30 home run threat that his 6’5 frame projects him to be. He is, however, an incredible offensive asset, especially when not relied upon to be one of the top three power threats in the lineup.
The issue with Bohm is that he may not have a home in Philadelphia when he hits free agency following the 2026 season.
While Bohm is an incredible asset to the offense and a homegrown talent, there have been concerns about his long-term viability at third base. At 6’5, Bohm is an outlier, and not in a good way–while lanky, there have been few players of that height who have stuck around the long-term at the hot corner.
His height and a history of poor defensive performance make him a natural fit at first base.
The only thing is that superstar Bryce Harper–a gold glove candidate at the position in his first year–will likely call first home for the rest of his tenure in Philadelphia.
To his credit, Bohm has made vast improvements at third base. In 2024, he was ranked eighth on Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run-Value leaderboard and posted 3 Outs Above Average–an improvement from just an OAA of just 1 in 2023 and a far cry from 2022’s -9. So, while Bohm will likely never win a Gold Glove, he has crafted himself into a league-average defender.
So why is Bohm a question mark? Well, there are a couple of things to be considered. The first is, do the Phillies want to make Bohm their permanent long-term third baseman after 2026?
Is he worth the $100-plus million contract he will likely receive?
I’m not so sure, and based on how the Phillies have treated him during his tenure, I’m not sure they are either.
The second and perhaps most glaring is Bohm’s management of his mental state throughout the season. He is, to put it lightly, hot-headed. There is no one in the clubhouse who reacts as poorly to a strikeout or an error as Bohm. More significantly, his frustrations bleed into his on-field performance.
Amid his worst stretch as a Phillie, he constantly had semi-public meltdowns in the dugout. In Game 4 of the NLDS, he made multiple defensive miscues amidst blow-up after blow-up. In 2022, his defensive struggles were largely mental, as he made error after error on routine plays.
Again, talent has never been the question for Bohm. But his ability to harness it and manage his emotions throughout the six-month grind of the regular season is.
The last piece of the puzzle has less to do with Bohm as a fit and more to do with his potential trade value. While the Phillies haven’t soured on Bohm, his benching in Game 2 and consistent poor body language in the midst of his struggles bring concern over his status in the organization.
Playing in Philadelphia, heck, being the number three overall pick, comes with a unique type of pressure, one that we’ve seen Bohm struggle with throughout his career. He’s risen above it and sunk below that pressure–and he likely will again and again.
It’s just how he’s wired. He’s a selfless teammate but also his biggest critic, visibly battling his inner demons throughout each year. Bohm, for long stretches, does not appear to be happy.
This isn’t an indictment on Bohm as a person or a player.
It’s an observation from a true fan of his, from a writer who has watched every single game of his Major League career.
It’s why when you love something, sometimes you have to let it go. Alec Bohm is an incredible talent, deserving of his high draft slot and a rare achievement of the Phillies amateur scouting system.
He is also a player who may benefit from a change in scenery, may not have a long-term future with the current structure of the team, and could command the type of piece the Phillies need this off-season.
