Philadelphia Phillies: Alec Bohm could be further hindered by lockout

The Philadelphia Phillies appeared to have a star in the making with Alec Bohm. The former top prospect had a stellar rookie campaign in 2020 and appeared to be on his way to fulfilling the prognostications that he would be their next homegrown star.

Instead, Bohm was hammered by the Sophomore Slump in 2021. He regressed in every way possible, eventually being sent back down to Triple-A. This makes the 2022 campaign all the more important for his future.

Lockout could impact Alec Bohm’s future with Philadelphia Phillies

That is especially the case given the changes to the Phillies’ coaching staff. Kevin Long, the Phillies’ new hitting coach, and Bobby Dickerson, their infield coach, would normally be working with Bohm to get ready for the upcoming season and attempt to return to form.

But that cannot happen. While Bohm was able to spend some time with both coaches, it was not nearly enough. That time will be even shorter once the lockout ends, as other players will be reaching out while the coaches are preparing for spring training as well.

He could certainly use the help based on his performance last year. After pacing second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, he produced a disappointing .247/.305/.342 batting line in his 417 plate appearances in 2021. He had just seven homers and 15 doubles in that time, barely eclipsing his totals from the previous year.

As the 2022 season is a critical year, this could have a major impact on Bohm’s future with the organization. It is easy to write off both 2020 and 2021, the former year because it was shortened due to the pandemic and the latter because of the drastic increase in his workload. But the Phillies need to figure out what they have. That begins with Bohm having access to the coaching staff, which is not the case right now.

The Philadelphia Phillies will have a decision to make on Alec Bohm. His future could be altered because of the ongoing lockout.