What about Alec Bohm?

Let's discuss another potential Mariners trade target.

Derik Hamilton / AP Images

Jeff Passan of ESPN recently released a very comprehensive preview of the offseason. In it, Passan primarily discussed the free agent market. However, the renowned baseball insider and best-selling author did suggest position players potentially available via trade this winter. Among the names he noted was Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.

Naturally, the mention of Bohm’s name by a prominent national baseball writer added a log to the hot stove in the Pacific Northwest and probably markets across the league. After all, the Mariners are reportedly interested in improving two infield positions this offseason. Why not add a 2024 All-Star?

When I addressed the topic of third base trade ideas for the Mariners last week, I neglected to include Bohm. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake. So, let’s talk about him now.

Selling points: This year, Mariners hitters had a .206 AVG versus breaking balls, which was 26th-lowest in baseball and 14 points below the MLB average. Bohm could help in this regard.

This year, Bohm produced a .306 AVG against breaking balls - fourth-highest among 180 hitters seeing 500 breaking pitches. The only players ahead of the former Wichita State Shocker were Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.335), Bobby Witt Jr. (.329), and Jake McCarthy (.317).

Bohm also demonstrated the ability to handle velocity. The right-handed hitter posted a 14th-best .313 AVG when facing pitches with a velocity of 96 mph-or-greater. Just behind Bohm were several notable names: Rafael Devers (.311), Manny Machado (.310), and Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez (.301). For anyone curious, the Mariners had a 27th-ranked .201 AVG on high-velocity offerings in 2024.

One thing Bohm has done extremely well is avoid excessive swing and miss. Among 129 qualified hitters, the 28-year-old had the 11th-lowest strikeout rate. An important consideration for a team like the Mariners that led the majors in strikeouts this year.

Bohm was a doubles-hitting machine. Only three players produced more two-baggers than the third overall pick of the 2018 draft: Jarren Duran (48), Ezequiel Tovar (45), and Witt (45). Here’s an awkward side note. Bohm’s 44 doubles this season were more than the combined total of the top two doubles leaders on the Mariners.

Seattle’s 2B Leaders (2024)

Dylan Moore - 23
Víctor Robles - 20
Josh Rojas - 19
Luke Raley - 19
Julio Rodríguez - 17
Mitch Garver - 17
Cal Raleigh - 16
J.P. Crawford - 16
Ty France - 14
Randy Arozarena - 14
Mitch Haniger - 12
Jorge Polanco - 11

With a 45.1-percent hard-hit rate, Bohm ranked 43rd within our previously-mentioned group of 129. Not only that, he tallied 216 hard-hit balls, which led his team and tied for 16th-most in MLB with José Ramírez of the Guardians.

Even though Statcast’s Park Factors rates Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park as an average-to-slightly-better venue for hitters, Bohm has been more productive on the road than at home since the beginning of the 2022 campaign.

Bohm’s Home/Away Splits (2022-24)

Home: 590 PA/.259 AVG/.314 OBP/.434 SLG/.321 wOBA
Away: 627 PA/.294 AVG/.344 OBP/.450 SLG/.343 wOBA

This year, 29 players logged at least 500 innings at third base. Only seven had a better FRV than Bohm.

Fielding Run Value (FRV) combines all of Statcast’s individual defensive metrics into one number to assess a fielder’s performance. Range (Outs Above Average) and throwing are used for fielders. Blocking, framing, and throwing are considered when assessing catchers. Zero FRV is average.

Despite IL stints in two of the last three seasons, Bohm has averaged 147 games annually since the beginning of the 2022 campaign.

Potential concerns: Bohm did scuffle down the home stretch this year. The decline between his first- and second-half splits was dramatic.

Bohm Splits (2024)

1st half: 402 PA/.295 AVG/.348 OBP/.482 SLG/.354 wOBA
2nd half: 204 PA/.251 AVG/.299 OBP/.382 SLG/.298 wOBA

Taking it a step further, Bohm produced a .204 AVG/.248 OBP/.301 SLG over his last 27 regular season games dating back to August 13. It’s important to note that he missed 12 days in the first half of September with a hand strain. Perhaps this contributed to his late-year struggles.

Bohm’s rough ending to the regular season followed him into October. In fact, the Phillies benched him for Game 2 of the NLDS versus the Mets. All told, the Nebraskan was 1-for-13 with one walk during Philadelphia’s series loss to New York.

Bohm isn’t a sloth. But his 26.6 ft/sec sprint speed is below average (27 ft/sec) and ranks in the bottom 20-percent of 39 third basemen with 100 competitive runs.

Even though Bohm frequently made loud contact, his well-struck balls didn’t necessarily yield results to the level you might expect. The All-Star’s AVG, SLG, and wOBA on hard-hit balls over the past two seasons were noticeably below the league averages.

Bohm vs MLB on Hard-Hit Balls (2023-24)

Bohm: .464 AVG/.837 SLG/.545 wOBA
MLB: .495 AVG/.976 SLG/.613 wOBA

Bohm had a great defensive year, based on the metrics. But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Statcast didn’t like his glove work in previous seasons.

Bohm’s FRV (2021-24)

2021 (minus-2)
2022 (minus-6)
2023 (minus-4)
2024 (4)

Zero FRV = average

Bohm was caught on video in April 2022 venting his frustration with the City of Brotherly Love to a teammate. Perhaps this was nothing more than a young player blowing some steam after a bad day. But I thought it was worth sharing with you nonetheless.

Thoughts: Bohm would be an intriguing pickup for the Mariners. He puts well-struck balls in play at a relatively high rate and is adept at avoiding strikeouts. He’s also been successful against the breaking stuff and the high heat. These are elements of hitting that Seattle’s lineup has struggled with, at times, over the past two seasons.

Something else to consider. Since he’s been more productive on the road than at Citizens Bank Park, perhaps Bohm would benefit from a change of location. Whether pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park would suit his offensive skillset is unclear.

As with any player acquisition, a team trading for Bohm assumes some risk. Will his third base defense regress to its previous suboptimal levels or will his glove continue to thrive at the hot corner?

An understandable concern. But let’s not forget the Mariners have demonstrated a knack for helping infielders become the best version of themselves. Therefore, the team should be able to help Bohm or any other newcomer to the infield with their defensive acumen.

It’s also reasonable to wonder whether Bohm has matured to the point he won’t have another blow-up with fans like he did in 2022. Will the Roncalli Catholic High School graduate struggle with controlling his emotions in the future?

A worthwhile question to consider. But then again, can you blame the guy?

Who outside of Philadelphia likes Philly fans anyway?

My Oh My…