Alec Bohm goes from human trade rumor to Phillies' Opening Day hero originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Alec Bohm might not be the ideal cleanup man, but he did the job Thursday.
On a day when defending National League home run king Kyle Schwarber picked right up where he left off, swatting a two-run homer in the first inning, it was Bohm who had the biggest hit of all in the Phillies’ 5-3 opening day win over the Texas Rangers at warm and sunny (it sure didn’t feel like March) Citizens Bank Park.
Bohm picked up Schwarber and Bryce Harper after the pair had struck out with two men on base and the Phillies nursing a 2-0 lead in the fifth against Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi.
It was a prime situation that the Phillies – or any team that thinks it’s going places — could not squander.
Bohm made sure they didn’t.
He got a 2-0 cutter from Eovaldi and lofted it to the opposite field and into the seats for a 5-0 lead.
Talk about a sweet moment, this was definitely that for Bohm.
Over the past two off-seasons, he’d been a human trade rumor. If the Phillies’ very public attempt to sign Bo Bichette had been successful a couple of months ago, he would have been shipped out, maybe to Detroit, maybe to Seattle, maybe to somewhere else.
When Bichette left the Phillies at the altar, the club had no choice but to stick with Bohm. And on this team, where options for a cleanup hitter to bat behind Schwarber and Harper are thin, he was the guy.
That didn’t sit well with much of the fanbase, who sees Bohm’s 6-foot-4 frame and wonders where the power is.
But Bohm sees his job as an RBI guy, regardless of how they come. He was a good one in 2023 and 2024 when he drove in 97 runs each season. He wasn’t as good last year when he had just 59. However, he was hurt last year, missing time with a rib injury and a shoulder injury. He’s healthy now. And after one game, this less-than-ideal cleanup man leads the team in RBIs.
“I know he takes a lot of … stuff,” Thompson said. “But the guy puts the ball in play. He’s going to give you a good at-bat. He’s not going to chase. So, if there are RBI situations out there, for the most part, he’s going to come through. Last year, he had some time off because of injury, so the numbers don’t reflect who he is, but I really like him in that four spot. Now with the way (Bryson) Stott is hitting behind him, it has a chance to be really effective.”
Schwarber profiles as a cleanup man. But he likes hitting second. And the Phillies win a lot of games with him batting second, in front of Harper.
In Schwarber’s opinion, a healthy Bohm can work in the cleanup spot on this team, even if he doesn’t rack up a slew of homers.
“I feel like the way that he takes his at-bats, with his profile and his game, it plays for us,” Schwarber said. “And it plays on a lot of teams. He doesn’t need to go out there and feel like he needs to do anything (extra). He needs to go out there and be himself. When he does that, you saw it today – he can take you oppo, he can hit a double, he’ll pull a homer. He’s such a tough out in our lineup, and I’m looking forward to getting a full season of him healthy and keeping him rolling.”
Bohm’s big game came on the same day he made some news off the field. During the game, the Philadelphia Inquirer posted a story on its website detailing a lawsuit that Bohm had filed against his parents on Wednesday. The suit alleges that his parents mismanaged his finances.
“I don’t want to get into personal matters,” Bohm said after the game.
According to reports, Bohm is seeking a judgment of at least $3 million.
If he is the hitter the Phillies think he can be – and need him to be – this season, he will make a lot more than $3 million when he hits the free-agent market next winter.
“For me, that’s a lot further down the road than other people think it is,” Bohm said when asked about free agency during spring training. “It’s a long year. We have a lot of baseball in front of us.
“Who knows what’s going to happen. It’s exciting, but my focus is more on opening day rather than what’s going to happen after 162, to be honest. We’ve set an expectation here and that’s to make the playoffs. Hopefully this is the year we win the last game. That fuels me more than free agency.”
Bohm’s career-high is 20 home runs. For the record, he would like to hit more than that. He spent much time in spring training working with hitting coach Kevin Long on catching mistake pitches out in front of the plate so they have a better chance of flying over the wall. But Bohm doesn’t want to sacrifice his line-drive swing, doesn’t want to be a guy who sees his strikeout totals soar for a few more homers.
“I understand cleanup guys hit 40 homers,” Bohm said in spring training. “But 40 homers can come with a lot more strikeouts. Those two 97-RBI seasons that I had, those are closer to me. Hit a lot of doubles, hit the ball in the gap. Don’t give away an at-bat with a punchout when all I need to do is put the ball in play.
“I’m a better hitter when I’m not giving you 150 punchouts. Hit the ball hard, move it around the yard instead of looking for a home run. On this team, with those guys (Turner, Schwarber, Harper) ahead of me, there will be a lot of opportunities for RBIs.”
Move forward to Thursday’s opener. Two men on. Two outs. Fifth inning. Yeah, Eovaldi’s cutter was up, the perfect pitch to elevate.
But Bohm wasn’t thinking that way.
“In that situation, more times than not, Kyle or Bryce is going to drive in those runs,” Bohm said. “So, in the event they don’t, it’s my job as the next man up to try to drive in one, if not both. If it all lines up perfect, you drive in ‘em all in.”
It lined up perfect for Bohm and the Phillies on opening day.
“You can’t win ‘em all if you don’t win the first one,” he said.