Alec Bohm's game-tying home run against three-time All-Star closer Josh Hader in Tuesday's come-from-behind win over the Milwaukee Brewers wasn't a cheap one.
Just minutes before Matt Vierling hit what turned out to be the game-winning home run for the Philadelphia Phillies, Bohm tagged Hader -- who hadn't previously given up a run since July 28, 2021 -- for a 426-foot home run:
For Bohm, it was his 15th career home run in his 731st Major League at-bat. That hardly screams someone that seems to have 30-home run power, give or take.
But among those 15 home runs, seven have traveled 400 feet or longer. In fact, Bohm's first 15 home runs have traveled exactly 6,000 feet, putting him at an average distance of 400 feet per home run.
At 6-foot-5, 218 pounds, this is someone that should drive the ball more consistently, including out of the park. He flashes enough just to tantalize you and imagine what his numbers would look like if his power his unlocked on a consistent basis.
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Make no mistake, no one is suggesting that Bohm should become a "three-true outcomes" player at the plate. He tries to put the ball in play consistently and is comfortable -- perhaps even to a fault -- hitting the ball to the opposite field. But among Bohm's 50 hits in 2022, just 11 of them have been of the extra-base variety. His slugging percentage (.366) and OPS (.670) aren't especially nice to look at. Bohm's ceiling isn't being a .295 hitter that homers 10 times a season. It's becoming an extra-base hits machine like Jayson Werth was at his peak.
Despite his best efforts to improve at third base, Bohm has -29 defensive runs saved and -7 outs above average at the hot corner in his career. His long-term future almost certainly isn't playing third base. If his long-term future is with the Phillies, it will likely involve a shift across the diamond to first base.
But before president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski would feel comfortable trading away Rhys Hoskins to open up first base, hitting coach Kevin Long will have to help Bohm to unlock his power on a more consistent basis. It's clearly in there, and Bohm -- who will turn 26 in August -- is at the stage of his career where he needs to start driving the ball more frequently than every once in a while.
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