Along with the Thursday's Opening Day festivities, came a certain amount of uncertainty about the roster. The main core returned as expected, but doubt of their remaining ceiling remains. This upcoming season feels hopeful and the Philadelphia Phillies are looking for their younger players, like third baseman Alec Bohm, to come into form.
Bohm was the center of attention this winter, and not for the reasons fans wanted to hear. The rumor mill churned all offseason with talk of Bohm's possible departure. Now at the beginning of another season, Bohm has returned, still a member of the Phillies and where he continues to prove he still belongs, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
It only took one game for Alec Bohm to make the Phillies glad they didn't trade him
The Phillies took on their division rival Washington Nationals to officially kick off 2025. Much was made of the lineup construction and where Bohm might fit into it. Bohm inevitably batted third in the stacked lineup and came through with a screaming go-ahead two-run double off of Nationals' left-hander Colin Poche in extra innings. Bohm drove in the 10th-inning dagger off a 93 mph four-seam fastball in the gap at 109.3 mph off the bat. He finished the day going 2-for-5 with one run, two RBIs and capped off the Phillies’ 7-3 Opening Day.
Get the RBI machine goin' pic.twitter.com/0HWq1vi8GE
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 27, 2025
The hit was poetic in a way. Bohm has been nothing but questioned regarding his stay in Philadelphia after the tumultuous end in last year's Division Series. The other veterans on the team, including first baseman Bryce Harper, feel that Bohm is right at home.
“Obviously, they were real,” Harper said about the trade rumors, per Zolecki. “He had a possibility of going somewhere else. A lot of guys in here, man -- including myself -- we love that kid over there. He plays the game and plays it hard and understands what it takes, man. He just needs to not put pressure on himself too much and just have fun, enjoy what he does."
The Phillies ace on the mound for Thursday's opener, Zack Wheeler, also offered some comments about Bohm's trade rumors.
“He’s here with us,” Wheeler said of Bohm. “He’s our third baseman. He’s a really good hitter. He’s become a really good fielder, and I’m happy to have him. He’s a competitor. Yeah, I’m just glad he’s with us.”
The support for Bohm should do wonders for the club's home-grown talent. Bohm is coming off an All-Star season last year in which he was the starter at third base for the National League. Now he just has to play the game his way for 2025 to be even bigger. He doesn't want to get caught up in the small things, especially where he hits in the lineup.
“I’ve hit one through nine in my career, I think,” Bohm said. “Maybe not ninth, but basically everywhere in the lineup. Wherever you put me, I’ll try to fit in. My approach isn’t necessarily based upon where I hit. It’s a simple kind of approach … runners on, runners not on -- nothing really changes for me."
His second half in 2024 was the catalyst for all the trade talk that riddled Bohm's offseason. He's coming in with a fresh mindset and wants to prove to himself, more than anyone, that the surface is only being scratched on the type of ball player he can truly become.