Anthony Mazziotti
Earlier this week, the Phillies opened their 2018 MLB Draft much like they did the year before – by drafting a college bat with their first-round pick. Alec Bohm was known more for his bat than his fielding coming out of Wichita State.
Bohm stands at 6’5″ and weighs 240 pounds. In 54 games, he slashed .332/.433/.616, he had 15 homeruns, 52 RBIs and eight stolen bases.
Here is the scouting report for Bohm courtesy of MLB.com:
“Coming into 2018, scouts were divided as to which of Wichita State’s two potential first-round position players was better. Greyson Jenista has more all-around ability and won the Cape Cod League Most Valuable Player Award last summer, but Bohm posted better numbers there and does a better job of tapping into his considerable power potential. Bohm easily settled the argument with a superior junior season, thrusting himself into consideration as a top-five selection in this year’s Draft.
Bohm manages the strike zone well and makes consistent hard contact from the right side of the plate. He doesn’t strike out as much as Jenista, he has an edge in bat speed and his stroke is more geared to generate power at this point. Bohm understands that he doesn’t have to sell out to hit home runs, so he doesn’t, letting his power come naturally.
Bohm doesn’t offer much when he’s outside of the batter’s box, however. Though he has worked diligently to improve at third base, he lacks quickness and range, and his hands and arm grade out as average. He’ll probably wind up at first base, but has the offensive upside to provide value there.”
What I get out of this: the dude is a pure hitter and will make his name at the plate. I’m hoping he can stick at third base, but if he has to switch to first base to be effective so be it. I know, Rhys Hoskins is supposed to be the first baseman of the future, but could you imagine having Bohm’s bat in the lineup alongside Hoskins’? Rhys has proven to be a serviceable outfielder and it’s clear that Gabe Kapler likes his players to be versatile. Needless to say, I love this pick.
Bohm could rise quickly through the minor league system and could be in the major leagues sooner than later. It all depends on how well his bat translates to professional ball.
The Phillies forfeited their second and third-round picks in the draft due to the signing of Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana.
With their fourth-round pick, 107th overall, the Phillies took a righthanded pitcher out of Cal State Fullerton, Colton Eastman. Last season, Eastman posted a 10-3 record with a 2.20 ERA which included the fifth no-hitter in Cal State Fullerton history. While he doesn’t quite project as a top of the rotation starter, he could be a solid contributor. Fun fact, Eastman and Iron Pigs pitcher Tom Eshelman went to the same college. Much like Eshelman, Eastman could find himself rising through the ranks quickly if he can remain pinpoint accurate.
Solid day at the yard. Can’t wait to go back to the hotel, relax, maybe watch a little @SportsCenter with @stanverrett, Neil and special guest @EastmanColton #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/j6ciFFRmhG
— Titan Baseball (@BaseballTitans) March 30, 2018
In the fifth round, the Phils took a collegiate outfielder, Matt Vierling. Vierling, much like Bohm, excels at the plate. Last season he sported a .310 batting average with 10 homeruns and 43 RBIs, in 2017 he hit .330 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs. He could rise through the system quickly as well.
Here are the rest of the picks the Phillies made:
- Shortstop Logan Simmons
- Left handed pitcher Gabriel Cotto
- Third baseman Seth Lancaster
- Right handed pitcher Dominic Pipkin
- Shortstop Madison Stokes
- Right handed pitcher Jack Perkins
- Right handed pitcher James McArther
- Shortstop Jose Mercado
- Catcher Jesse Wilkening
- Right handed pitcher Daniel Carpenter
- Right handed pitcher Tyler McKay
- Left handed pitcher Keylan Killgore
- Third baseman Matt Kroon
- Right handed pitcher Mark Potter
- Third baseman Connor Litton
- Right handed pitcher Jake Smith
- Third baseman Luke Miller
- Catcher Logan O’Hoppe
- Centerfielder Corbin Williams
- Right handed pitcher Adam Cox
- Right handed pitcher Eric White
- Catcher Jack Conley
- Right handed pitcher Jonathan Jones
- Left handed pitcher Jaylen Smith
- Right handed pitcher Brandon Ramey
- Right handed pitcher Tyler Carr
- Outfielder Ben Aklinski
- Right handed pitcher Jake Kinney
- Catcher Nick Matera
- Right handed pitcher Austin Ross
- Right handed pitcher Trent Bowles
- First baseman Ryan Rijo
- Right handed pitcher Stephen Jones
- Catcher Matheu Nelson
- Right handed pitcher Waylon Richardson
Here are my takeaways from the rest of the picks made:
- This should go without saying, but the vast majority of these players drafted will never make it out of the minor leagues.
- The Phillies really appear to have a thing for right handed pitchers. They drafted 17 of them here. I wouldn’t have pinned right handed pitching as a “need” as they have a surplus of them currently in the majors and AAA. It was good to see them take a lefty pretty early in Cotto, even if he is a prep arm.
- The same can be said for catchers, the Phillies took five catchers in this draft. This can be a good thing as the Phillies don’t have too many “big name” catching prospects now that Alfaro is behind the plate everyday.
- The Phillies drafted two Wichita State Shockers, Alec Bohm and Keylan Killgore. While Killgore projects as a reliever, it’s cool to see teammates drafted to the same team.
- Right after the Phillies took Killgore, they went after a third baseman named Matt Kroon. He had a nice year where he slashed .303/.424/.550 with 11 homeruns and 38 RBIs. The Phillies drafted him last year in the 30th round, so it’s clear that the front office sees something in him. He’s a name to keep an eye on moving forward.
- While he has come out and said he won’t play for the Phillies, catcher Mat Nelson (drafted in the 39th round) played high school baseball for Roy Halladay.
— matheu nelson (@matheu_nelson) June 7, 2018
This appears to be a pretty successful draft for the Phillies. They landed some talent that could rise through the farm system quickly while taking some chances on some longshots. The baseball draft is one of the hardest things in the world to judge as it takes years for talent to develop. At the end of the day, I like what the Phils added and I can’t wait to see how it pans out.
You can follow Anthony Mazziotti on Twitter (@AntMazziotti) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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