How does Alec Bohm's start compare to one of the greatest Phillies ever?
When thinking of Philadelphia Phillies third basemen, it is impossible to not immediately think of the legendary Mike Schmidt.
Schmidt was with the Phillies for his entire 18-year career. From his debut in September 1972 at the age of 22, through his final game in May 1989 at the age of 39, Schmidt put together the best career a Phillies player ever had.
Schmidt batted a career .267/.380/.527, hit more than 540 home runs, won three National League MVP awards, and was a 12-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, and eight-time Silver Slugger.
While it may seem a bit outlandish to compare Bohm to Schmidt, the similarities should certainly receive some attention.
Schmidt played 307 games from his September 1972 debut through the end of the 1974 season, while Bohm played in 311 regular season games from his August 2020 debut until the end of the 2022 regular season. In those games, Schmidt batted .204, while Bohm maintained a .277 average.
Bohm was also part of a Phillies team that won the National League pennant, something Schmidt did not accomplish until 1980. Schmidt, however, was able to bat .280/.395/.546 during the 1974 season, something that would give the third baseman his first All-Star nod.
While we still anxiously wait to see Bohm reach All-Star status, he is not off to a bad start. While Schmidt had subpar batting averages to start his career, he also displayed power with 55 home runs in his first 307 games. The batting averages would later come, as he would bat a career-best .316 in 1981.
Perhaps Bohm can begin to unleash power that helped him hit 33 home runs in his 159 starts at Wichita State. After all, Bohm hit 10 home runs in 2022 under first-year manager Rob Thomson, after previously hitting 14 home runs from August 2020 through May 2022.