A good point by Gelb today: Stott looks like one of the best hitters in spring training because he's been doing it for a month longer than everybody else.
But mostly the story makes things look pretty grim for Bohm.
Girardi was done using Bohm; the coaches saw a player who was continually exploited by fastballs and carried his prolonged offensive problems over to defense.
A few good weeks in spring training wasn’t going to alter that evaluation. Ever since the Phillies drafted Bohm, some within the organization were steadfast in their assessment that he would not be an everyday third baseman in the majors. Those opinions were shunned before. Now, it is the prevailing thought because Bohm’s hitting has not justified the losses in the field.
There are implications beyond deciding the third baseman for Opening Day. If the Phillies send Bohm to Triple A-Lehigh Valley again to elevate Stott, it conveys a message that Bohm is no longer a part of the future in Philadelphia. The Phillies were reluctant to include him in trade talks last summer; now, his potential trade value is lower than ever. Even if the Phillies were to dangle Bohm in a trade now — NBC Sports Philadelphia reported last week there was “credible buzz” that Bohm could be dealt — it’s unclear what they would even target. Bohm, the third pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, isn’t someone who should be traded for pitching depth. A center fielder? There isn’t an apparent match; Bohm wouldn’t be the centerpiece in any hypothetical trade for Bryan Reynolds or Cedric Mullins.
Bohm has accumulated 597 plate appearances in the majors. It would be unusual for a team to cast aside a pick as high as Bohm with so little time in the majors. The Phillies have reasons for concern. Bohm was not just bad against fastballs last season; he was also one of the worst hitters against fastballs in the majors since 2015. Since drafting Bohm, the Phillies have attempted to unlock more pull-side power from his swing. He hasn’t adapted and the all-fields approach that made him a decent prospect suffered as a result.
(I'm sure some will read that part and say the Phillies messed up another hitter. But he is probably never going to be a starting big-leaguer - not as a poor fielding 3B and certainly not as a LF or 1B if he isn't able to add power.)
