PHILADELPHIA — The Mets don’t have to look far to find hope with an unproven but talented third baseman.
They may have just been peeking into their opponent’s hot corner for the past few days.
Alec Bohm was the third overall pick in 2018.
He quickly emerged as one of the most promising players in baseball, breaking through the Phillies’ system and debuting in 2020.
Then he hit a little and learned a lot.
From 2020 to 2023, the Phillies’ third baseman posted a .731 OPS, close to league average.
He showed signs of improvement, jumping from seven home runs to 13 to 20 over the past three seasons, and was allowed to fail at the major league level in order to learn how to succeed at the major league level.
He has played in 456 MLB games this season and is finally starting to break out for good.
The 27-year-old hit a majors-high 16 doubles, posted a .331 batting average and a .919 OPS, and emerged as the clean-up spot behind Bryce Harper.
It took a few seasons, but the promise Boehm showed in the minors finally materialized in a big way.
“For me, it took a couple of years to really get comfortable and confident,” Bohm said before the Phillies wrapped up their series against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park.
“But I’ve been fortunate enough to be in a situation with a team and staff that trust me and let me go out there and make mistakes and learn and keep me running on the field.”
Bohm then looked at his opponent.
“They’re playing the best baseball in front of you,” Bohm said of Brett Batty and Mark Vientos.
The Mets would likely get a Bohm-type breakthrough from Batty or Vientos, but Batty’s bat didn’t show up early in the season, so they’re platooning right now.
Batty, like Boehm, was a top pick (12th in 2019) and, like Boehm, a top prospect who moved up quickly (debuting in 2022). Batty has yet to translate his minor league excellence into major league success.
Last season, he played in 108 games in the MLB, posting an OPS of .598. He posted a .609 OPS in his first 39 games, which led to Vientos’ call-up.
Vientos, a second-round pick in 2017, has shown more ability with the bat in his short time in the majors, but is considered an inferior defender.
Bohm has been impressed with both and believes he can improve given the opportunity.
“We’ve played against them a lot and they’re both really talented. They’re both good,” Bohm said. “They’ve obviously mastered Triple-A. But it’s just a game. … It’s really hard. You have to be physically exhausted every day for 100 games in a row to put it all together and show all your talent. It’s difficult.”
The Phillies gave Boehm the middle hitter status for years, partly because they didn’t have a better replacement and because other batsmen carried the weight.
The Mets are currently trying to balance two interesting prospects and find time for both in a lineup that doesn’t have much of an impact around them.
Bohm emphasized how difficult it is to hit major league pitchers, but said he learned by continually getting the opportunity to hit major league pitchers.
He hopes Batty and Vientos will be given the same opportunity.
“It’s just difficult,” Boehm said. “Everyone just wants to look at the numbers and the small sample size and say, ‘Oh, send it to me.’
“It takes time. And the path to becoming the player you are is not the same for everyone.”
