GDT 8/3/22 Philadelphia Phillies (Wheeler) @ Atlanta Braves (Morton)

[LoneStarPhan]

I expect Bohm will continue at third through at least 2023 season. In retooling for 2023, I see Bohm at third as one position that will not be addressed. There will be other areas to address.

[phillychuck]

He also had a really bad defensive reputation when he first cam up, and that sticks with fans. (And, to be honest, almost no one cares if Austin Riley is a sub-average fielder because his huge offensive production overshadows any defensive warts).

Watching Bohm now he seems like a quick, athletic 3B with good range who has throwing problems and occasional lapses in judgment. The throwing will get better with repetition, and usually pros get better at figuring out when to take chances defensively, too.

[zambonir]

Context and sample size (and defense) still matter. If his offensive trajectory continues to where it has been the past month or so, i.e, he's been "fixed" and doesn't slump or get adjusted to, he can be a weak defensive 3B but is still probably not a 1B.

But if he still has more downs to go with the ups, he's no better than Franco (his overall 2022 numbers still no better than Franco's 2018 numbers).

Which is why next year will tell the tale.

I dunno what ranking you are looking at exactly Aqua, but I'm seeing a Fangraphs defensive WAR for Bohm of minus 3.5. Riley is worse at minus 3.8. But that just highlights the overall issue - if Bohm ever hits like Austin Riley he can play anywhere he wants.

[andyb]

Fangraphs (1.3 overall WAR) definitely likes him more than BR (0.5). Hard to know who is correct though sometimes Fangraphs uses synthetic stats to be more predictive while BR is calculating outcomes of actual plays.

I can live with his defense at 3B while he is inexpensive (plus you can get him 20-40 DH starts in a normal year). But if he starts getting paid on good offensive numbers and is still only a 1-2 WAR player then he ceases to be valuable. This is kind of Hoskins' problem. Bad defense has made him a 2-3 WAR player max and he'll get paid more than that as a free agent. This year has been a bit better, but I think most can see he is still pretty mediocre at defense.

[flyers19rw]

Well the Phillies don’t have an Austin Riley or anyone in the system that can replace Bohm at 3B. His numbers are close to those of Kris Bryant. If KB was here at 3B would you be wanting to move him to another position or off of the club?

[zambonir]

I would have moved him to CF

But I also think it's possible the Phillies could get decent trade value for Bohm and find another 3B (or SS or 2B) whereas they can't get much for Hoskins. Not what I think they should (or will) do, but can't rule it out either.

[flyers19rw]

Who do you think that the Phillies could get in return for Bohm and who could they get to play 3B?

[allentown]

I would not trade Bohm. I believe keeping your home-grown players, through their MLB growth and, if they are good enough, keeping them until the point they should be considering retirement. Many players fall off, become expensive, but want to keep playing. You don't hang on that long, but fan loyalty, IMHO, is enhanced by a core of players who grew up with the team. They don't have to be our own draftees or international signees -- a guy like Eflin, Callison or Abreu are fine.

I also think that to trade Bohm now, would be to trade low, just as I fear we did with O'Hoppe and Ben Brown.

[zambonir]

I don't really think they should trade Bohm. He's young and cheap. But I still think the roster construction is flawed and the other two RHBs are immovable. That problem will solve itself after one more year though.

But hypothetically? Trade Bohm for pitching or prospects, sign Turner to play 3B instead of SS, bring back Segura cheap at 2B. Or keep Stott at 2B and sign a cheaper SS who pairs well with Sosa.

Clearly the Phillies are content to have addressed defense with Marsh and an upgraded middle IF (regardless of where Stott plays) and that might be good enough. But "good enough" might also not be good enough. If they goal is to win the NL East and/or get to the World Series no position player on this roster is really untouchable or irreplaceable besides Bryce and JT.

I don't think the Phillies did trade low on O'Hoppe or Brown. O'Hoppe's ceiling may still be back-up and Brown's a pitcher (i.e. his floor is not merely "reliever" but career-ending injury). If Bohm stays as hot as he has been lately, he could be at peak value this off-season. But if he does that he can continue to play mediocre 3B for the Phillies, certainly!