Jun 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third base Alec Bohm (28) celebrates his home run in the dugout during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
CLEARWATER — Wednesday was the first workout for pitchers and catchers, but inevitably the conversation turned to Alec Bohm, who is still with the Phillies after an offseason where his name was mentioned frequently in trade rumors.
Manager Rob Thomson has previously said that he spoke to Bohm in the offseason at the time that the rumors began to swirl. He's confident that the 28-year-old third baseman is ready to move forward.
"I haven't seen him today, but I talked to him yesterday and a bunch of coaches were around him for a long time with Bobby [Dickerson] and Paco [Figueroa] hitting him ground balls," Thomson said.
"They said he's so positive he seems like a different guy — like he's grown up again. He's grown up so much since we first brought him to the big leagues. Now, it looks like he's taken another step. So I'm really excited to see what he can do."
A year ago, Bohm got off to a scalding-hot start, and rode his 70 RBIs and .830 OPS to his first All-Star Game nod. But after starting for the senior circuit in the Midsummer Classic, Bohm struggled in the second half, posting just a .681 OPS. There were also instances where the recurring theme of him struggling to control his emotions reared its ugly head.
Thomson — who now believes that Bohm's left hand strain that forced him to the injured list in early September may have affected him even once he returned — talked about what he would like to see the 28-year-old improve on this season.
"I think just the consistency," Thomson said. "And I think, as it turns out, you know he had that hand injury late, and in my mind I still think that it was probably bothering him at the end. But just the consistency, making those lows not as low. Everybody is going to go through tough times, [the key is] making sure those tough times don't last as long as they have."
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There is a bit of a separation between the top baseball executive and players, particularly in the offseason. But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says that he's spoken to Bohm in passing already this spring, and there wasn't any discussion of winter trade rumors.
"Well, I've said hello to him," Dombrowski said. "A couple times [we've had] a quick chat, really didn't address the topic. Rob Thomson has talked to him about all the rumors.
"We went into the winter time with an open mind with how our club would look and the ability to discuss some of our players to try to get better," Dombrowski added. "...With that brings interest in some of your good players. Alec Bohm's a good player. And so, Rob Thomson has continued to emphasize that to him a couple times in the winter time, and that's how we feel about him."
Dombrowski stays up-to-date with what's being said and written about his team, and knows what the conversation surrounding Bohm for much of the offseason was like. He said he spoke to Scott Boras — Bohm's agent — during the winter and assured him that the Phillies weren't actively shopping the third baseman.
Clearly, they weren't hanging up the phone when teams called on Bohm, but an offer didn't come up that convinced them to trade him away. And they feel comfortable moving forward that the relationship is in a good place and Bohm will be an impact piece for them in 2025.
"He was the starting third baseman for the National League All-Star team last year, so we like him a lot," Dombrowski said. "He knows we like him a lot."
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