In his second season of Major League Baseball, Alec Bohm has not had an ideal one for the Phillies. Bohm came on the scene hot as a rookie. He was drafted #3 overall in 2018, which deservedly brought great optimism within the Phillies organization regarding the young third baseman. Bohm was the Phillies #1 prospect before being called up to the majors and fans were excited to see him contribute to the big league club. 

He matched the excitement with an outstanding first year, though it was the shortened Covid year. Alec’s numbers at the plate stood out, as he batted .338, with 4HR, and an OPS of .881. He struck out rarely, put the ball in play, and came up clutch in many instances. He smashed a 446ft blast in Atlanta for his first major-league homer and hit a memorable walk-off against the Mets. Bohm was not a quality fielder at third base, registering 4 errors last season, but his performance at the dish made up for it. He ultimately finished as a Finalist in 2020 Rookie of the Year voting. 

Bohm has not experienced the same successes in 2021. Fans expected close to what they got last year – a quality hitter for average with some pop, and a defenseman able to handle his own somewhat at the hot corner. Bohm started as the Phillies everyday third baseman at the beginning of the season. In the spring, he was very ugly. Not only was he missing routine grounders at his infield position, but he was striking out consistently and hitting without power. The organization was entirely disappointed by his decline in play, but expected growth and recovery, so they allowed the 25-year old to continue to start ballgames. No player is a career .338 hitter in today’s game, but Bohm seemed much unlike the 2020 version of himself in his sophomore effort. 

Bohm was hitting for a better average with a few homers later on in the summer, but continued to make errors that hurt the club consistently, posting a hefty 16 in total. Bohm seemed to be striking out a bit less, but his performance at the plate this year wasn’t getting the job done either, hitting only .245 with a net WAR of -1.2. Phillies utility piece Ronald Torreyes stepped up this year excelling in the field and hitting for a decent average. The club would give Torreyes the job at third base for the remainder of the season and send Bohm back down to the minor leagues, with a currently unknown return. Alec wasn’t helping the Phillies win games in 2021. The Phillies organization nor fans have lost hope in the offensive prospect of Alec Bohm, but this season hasn’t helped his cause.