Phillies: Comparing Alec Bohm’s first 10 starts to other top prospects

Philadelphia Phillies’ top prospect Alec Bohm is posting great numbers compared to other top-ranked rookies through their first 10 MLB starts.

One of the more highly anticipated Phillies debuts of the season came on August 13, when Alec Bohm was promoted and made the start at third base.

He impressed in his first five games before going only 2-for-12, with three walks and one RBI, while committing two errors, in four starts leading into Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves.

After getting Saturday off, Bohm responded with perhaps the best performance of his short time in the majors. The right-handed hitter went 3-for-3, with a walk and two runs, including his first career major league home run.

The performance could not have come at a better time, as the Phillies needed all the runs they could get, narrowly holding on to snap a five-game losing skid by tagging out the tying run at home plate to end the game.

Bohm came into the year ranked 31st on MLB’s list of top-100 prospects for 2020.

Of the 30 prospects ahead of him, only six position players have made at least 10 career major league starts: Gavin Lux (ranked 2nd, Los Angeles Dodgers), Luis Robert (3rd, Chicago White Sox), Jo Adell (6th, Los Angeles Angels), Dylan Carlson (18th, St. Louis Cardinals), Carter Kieboom (23rd, Washington Nationals) and Brendan Rodgers (30th, Colorado Rockies).

So, how does Bohm compare to those six fellow rookies?

Only Luis Robert has been more productive in his first 10 MLB starts

When it comes to offensive production, Bohm holds his ground and is not far behind Robert.

Through their first 10 starts, Robert has the most hits (14), most home runs (two – tied with Lux and Kieboom), best batting average (.350) and best slugging percentage (.575).

Bohm did have eight fewer at-bats than Robert and ranks second in hits (11 – tied with Rodgers), home runs (one), batting average (.344) and slugging percentage (.531). He and Robert both have three doubles.

Bohm also leads some categories, meaning there’s an argument to be made that he’s been as productive as Robert. He has the most walks (seven, compared to Kieboom and Robert with four each), has struckout the least (six times to Lux’s nine), has the best on-base percentage (.462) and the best OPS (.993 to Robert’s .984).

The RBI rankings are close across the board. Rodgers tops the category with seven, followed by Robert with six, Lux with five and Bohm with four.

Defensively, Bohm has room for improvement compared to the other rookies. His three errors rank second to Kieboom’s four. Rodgers and Adell each have one error.

It’s important to note that Bohm is the only player out of this group who’s positioned in the “hot corner,” so his defensive plays tend to be a little more challenging.

Bohm is off to a great start when you compare him to other rookies

As the Phillies continue to search for a solution to their pitching troubles, their top prospect provides promise on the offensive end.

When compared to other top-ranked rookies through their first 10 major league starts, Bohm is right near the top. His first ten starts prove that he deserves to be slotted in as the team’s everyday third baseman and can become a force to be reckoned with as the season continues.

With several key divisional games coming up in the next few weeks, it’s time to stick with Bohm.