Phillies news: 5 plans for filling a DH role in 2020

Jean Segura

Having Jean Segura as your designated hitter is, once again, not a conventional move for a job typically earmarked for guys who hit home runs.

But hear me out: DH Segura and start Alec Bohm at third base.

It’s not the smoothest way to do this, but here’s how it could actually work out.

Segura is being moved from short to third because his defense was horrendous,  committing 20 errors last year on top of two consecutive years with 17 errors before that. While hit bat can be incredibly valuable in a lineup, Segura is a liability on the field.

He’s also never played third base in a regulation game. He got some time during spring training and improved after a rocky start, but he’s certainly not an above-average player at third.

What makes Segura valuable is his bat.

Then there’s Bohm, the Phillies top prospect who could miss an entire minor league season in 2020. That’s a ton of development time for a player who the Phillies hope can be the cornerstone for their franchise going forward.

While Bohm isn’t the most natural third baseman, that’s where he played in college and where some project him to play in the big leagues. If there is no minor league season, you might as well let him play and grow.

We’ll have to see what the league does as far as service time, but Bohm might have been destined to play 60 games in the big leagues anyway this year. What’s it matter if it’s half a full season or the entire shortened season?

This option gets your best hitting prospect onto the big league field and takes perhaps your biggest defensive liability off the field. It’s unconventional, but it just might work.

You could also move a certain first baseman into the DH role and start Bohm across the diamond.