Ad Disclosure
Alec Bohm Has a Chance to Re-Write His Phillies Legacy
By Sean Barnard
Published:
Alec Bohm has had a turbulent tenure across his seven Phillies seasons.
He is a good player, though his overlapping weaknesses with the higher-paid stars sometimes paint him in a worse light than he deserves. But the lack of power in his 6-foot-5 frame, his knack for stunting rallies with a ground-ball double play, and his frequent tantrums when things go wrong are partly responsible for the team’s shortcomings and the fan base’s frustrations.
It’s been a nightmare 2026 season for Bohm overall.
Across its entirety, he’s slashing .242/.300/.382 with a .682 OPS, 14 home runs, 71 RBI, and a -0.7 WAR. This is his worst batting average and on-base percentage of his career, and the second-worst slugging percentage and OPS in all seven years.
After a few seasons of appearing in trade rumors, he entered 2026 as the everyday third baseman for this Phillies team. This was a particularly high-stakes season for the 30-year-old as he will be a free agent at the year’s conclusion.
Through his first 91 games of the season, Bohm posted measly slash marks of .216/.279/.356 with a .635 OPS. This was the most discouraging stretch of his career and was among the worst metrics of any regular MLB player. To put it in perspective, this batting average and on-base percentage would rank 12th on the current roster, while his slugging percentage and OPS would rank 11th. For a former All-Star whose biggest responsibility is driving in runs in the middle of the lineup, this left plenty to be desired.
But Bohm’s outlook for the season has shifted quite a bit over the past few weeks. Following the addition of Luis Arraez at the trade deadline and the ensuing infield realignment, Bohm made his way across the diamond and has been asked to play first base. He’s made 151 career appearances at the position, but not more than 15 in a season since 2023. While there were some growing pains in the early stages of the positional transition, the Phillies have taken advantage of his massive frame, and Bohm has looked borderline smooth at first base of late:
However, the more impactful shift has come in the batter’s box. Since July 12th, Bohm is slashing .314/.359/.455 with an .813 OPS. He’s posting a ridiculous 1.191 OPS across the past seven games alone and has been the Phillies’ best hitter for a fairly extended stretch now.
When he is at his best, Bohm is a gaps hitter who drives in runs on a regular basis. The Phillies have collectively embraced this new-look, small-ball style in this late-season playoff push, which is more aligned with his natural style of play. It has been a fair critique of the overall roster that they have lived and died with the long ball a bit too much across the past few postseason exits. Partially sparked by the arrival of Arraez and his contact-first approach, and further reinforced by continued messaging from the team, this point of emphasis seems to have stuck.
Through the end of July, the Phillies were the worst team in baseball in terms of getting on base, and ranked in the bottom half of the league in runs scored, slugging, and just about every notable advanced metric. But since the start of August, Philadelphia is producing the best on-base percentage in baseball, largely sparked by their walk rate nearly doubling and strikeout rate dipping by roughly 8%. This has not come with a sacrifice in power, as the team’s slugging percentage has actually further improved, and being more selective at the plate has been an evident theme across the entire roster.
While the plate approach has been a drum the collective fan base has been banging for several years, it’s better late than never. Who knows why now was the time this message fully set in, as one would imagine there have been regular conversations about this throughout every season. But with this new focus on working counts, driving in runs through the gaps, and not being overly dependent on home runs, Bohm’s skillset also becomes particularly vital.
There are still flaws on this Phillies team. The pathway to Jhoan Duran will be difficult in the playoffs, the outfield production can still be inconsistent, and the Phillies were unable to find a true right-handed power bat to slot in the lineup as protection for Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. But in a lineup loaded with lefties, Bohm will carry plenty of responsibility in the coming weeks. The best version of himself is pretty close to what the team has been missing all year, and both sides will be hoping he remains in this form to close down the season.
Bohm will never be a perfect player. His failing to take that next half-step in his development has been a major reason for the Phillies’ postseason shortcomings. The margins are extremely slim to win a World Series, and the organization’s willingness to float him in trades is evidence of their doubt. But the opportunity to find an improvement has passed, and he remains in the foxhole as the Phillies try to shock the world.
It’s not hyperbole to state this is by far the most important stretch of Bohm’s professional career. The writing has felt like it is already on the wall for this being his final stretch in Philadelphia for quite some time. But he now sets his own free agent market and can prove to be the All-Star caliber player he has shown in the past. He’s taken his lumps from the Phillies fan base and has sometimes been miscast into something he is not. But if the best version of Alec Bohm is able to produce consistently for the remainder of the year, it drastically alters the postseason ceiling.
The opportunity is in front of both Bohm and the Phillies, and he will largely be remembered by how these next two months play out.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.