That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Phillies first-round pick Alec Bohm’s power no joke

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 19: (Editors Note: This image was taken with a fisheye lens) A general view of Citizens Bank Park while Domonic Brown #9 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats in the first inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on June 19, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 19: (Editors Note: This image was taken with a fisheye lens) A general view of Citizens Bank Park while Domonic Brown #9 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats in the first inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on June 19, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images) /
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One of the key traits that made the Phillies select Alec Bohm is his power potential. The power he displayed in college showed it can translate to the pros.

Alec Bohm came into the draft as the all-around best hitting prospect. He has both an above-average hit tool and power, creating plenty of potential for his future at the plate. Pair that with strong plate discipline, and it’s no surprise that the Phillies took Bohm No. 3 overall this year.

When Bohm officially joins the team, he should instantly become their top position player prospect. He is certainly the team’s best third-base prospect as long as he stays at the position.

Whenever a player’s value comes from their power, there is always concern about how it will translate to the major leagues. Home runs are all well and good, but how hitters get those home runs show just how all-around their power is.

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Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America collected the batted ball data for all the home runs the top college hitters in this year’s draft. They wanted to see which hitters truly had all-fields power and which ones leaned on pulling the ball.

Bohm’s batted ball data did indeed show that he has all-fields power. He hit 16 home runs at Wichita State this year, hitting one to each field. He had three go to left, six to left-center, three to center, three to right-center, and one to right. Bohm easily led the way among the 20 hitters surveyed with 75 percent of his home runs being hit up the middle. Meanwhile, he pulled only 18.8 percent.

With many prospects, while their power often only comes out in batting practice and mistake pitches, Bohm has a good enough hit tool to hit home runs in any situation. He is a good overall hitter as well, meaning he should do more than just belt home runs. His plate discipline means he shouldn’t be plagued by strikeout issues and will take advantage of bad pitches, driving them to all fields.

Next: Six Phillies prospects named South Atlantic League All-Stars

Power is becoming more and more prominent in baseball as more hitters focus on hitting fly balls to get home runs. Some of these hitters try to pull the ball as well in order to increase their power. However, hitters like Bohm should have less trouble tapping into their power as they can hit home runs to all fields.

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