The Phillies lately have turned into something of a walking M*A*S*H Unit after losing Rhys Hoskins, JT Realmuto, and now potentially Bryce Harper to injury but they’ve been held together largely by the production of one rookie sensation: Alec Bohm (2-4, R, RBI, BB). How good has Bohm been? The former #3 pick has hit .331 with four home runs and 22 RBI in just 37 games. He’s currently riding a six-game hitting streak with multiple hits in three of those games but if you really want to be impressed there’s only been four games in all of September in which he didn’t get a hit while he had multiple hits in nine games. He’s been one of the hottest hitters in baseball and it looks pretty legit.
A glance at his Statcast numbers helps explain a decent chunk of Bohm’s success so far this season as he’s posted an impressive 91.5 MPH Exit Velocity to go along with a fantastic 11.4 BBL%. He’s hitting the ball on the ground a bit more often than I would like but check out his launch angle chart from Baseball Savant:
There’s a lot to like about that chart as most of those hits are coming in exactly the range we want them to. He has a center field approach which isn’t a bad thing in a smaller park such as Citizen’s Bank Ballpark. Perhaps more interesting, though, is his aggressiveness. 10 of his 44 hits or nearly a quarter have occurred on either of the first or second pitch of the at-bat. In fact, he’s swinging at 35.4% of first pitches in his at-bats. This makes some sense as he’s seen a first-pitch strike on 62.4% of his pitches. So far, Bohm has been at his best when he’s being aggressive early in the count. It will be interesting to see how Bohm adjusts once opponents start pitching him out of the zone more often, but that’s a next-year problem. For now, he’s still widely available in a majority of leagues and if he’s out there in your leagues he could be the key to your championship week.
Let’s take a look at how the other hitters fared on Sunday:
Asdrúbal Cabrera (1B/3B, WSH) – 4-8, HR, 2 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI. A homer and two doubles on Sunday gives Cabrera eight home runs on the year to go along with nine doubles and three triples. He struggled quite a bit so far this season but over the last 14 days he’s hit .293 with three home runs and four doubles so he might be finally finding himself at the plate. Eligible at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base in Yahoo, he’s widely available and could make a versatile bench bat for your championship push.
Daniel Vogelbach (1B/DH, MIL) – 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI. The full season numbers have been ugly for Vogelbach but after two home runs on Sunday he’s now hitting .417 with three home runs since joining the Brewers on September 4th. If you need a 1B or UTL hitter he’s swinging a hot stick right now and is available in almost every league.
Bobby Dalbec (1B/3B, BOS) – 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI. Speaking of hot hitters, Bobby Dalbec crushed his seventh home run on Sunday in just 67 plate appearances. Given that he is also striking out at a near 50.0% clip, I wouldn’t exactly expect this to be sustainable long term—but right now he doesn’t need to, he just needs to pull it off for one more week. He’s out there in most leagues and is eligible at first and third base. I’d say ride the hot streak as he gets the Orioles and the battered Braves rotation and hope he helps you bring home that championship.
George Springer (OF, HOU) – 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB. One of the brighter spots for the suddenly average Astros lineup, Springer’s two homers on Sunday raises his season total to 13. He has increased his FB% while also maintaining an elite HR/FB% and is posting the third-highest wRC+ and wOBA of his career as well.
José Ramírez (3B, CLE) – 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI. Pssst! José Ramírez should get MVP votes at the end of the year, pass it on. Quietly, after hitting two home runs yesterday, Ramírez is now hitting .284 with 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases. The Indians’ offense has taken years off my life this season but it’s still been a joy to watch Ramírez hit this season. He’s hitting the ball in the air an astonishing 50.3% of the time. Combine that with a 50.0 Pull% and you begin to understand how he’s putting up a career-high 19.0 HR/FB%. Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Max Kepler (OF, MIN) – 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI. It’s nice to see this from Kepler who has struggled all season. Whether due to injury or a massive cold streak I don’t know but his exit velocity is way down as is his BBL%, and his launch angle has started getting into that territory where you start wondering if he’s popping everything up instead of making good contact. I still believe in the talent for next year but this has been a lost season for the German.
Darin Ruf (OF, SF) – 2-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB. Ruf is having one of the best seasons of his career this year as he has now five HRs on the season to go along with an impressive .303 average and a 159 wRC+. He’s not getting nearly enough consistent playing time to make him really fantasy relevant but he’s been really good when he gets to play.
Trea Turner (SS, WSH) – 3-7, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB. Speaking of quiet MVP seasons, Trea Turner continued his on Sunday with his 10th home run. He’s now hitting .337 on the year with nine stolen bases. He’s posting career highs in pretty much every power metric out there while also improving his plate discipline as well. Not much has gone right for the defending champs this year but Turner becoming a superstar definitely has.
Brandon Crawford (SS, SF) – 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI. Crawford has flown a bit under the radar as he’s hitting .283 on the year and his home run yesterday was his sixth. Sitting on 126 wRC+ for the year he’s been a big part of the surprisingly good San Francisco lineup. Pretty much every single Statcast number across the board is up at career-high levels and he’s pulling the ball at a 50.0% rate all of which leads me to believe he’s made a shift in approach. It will be interesting to see if that carries over into next year.
Rougned Odor (2B, TEX) – 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI. This was Odor’s fifth home run in September, his second in two games and his eighth on the season. His average has still been abysmal and there’s not a ton of value here, unless you’re hurting at 2B and you need the power (but it’s likely at too high a cost).
Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF, BOS) – 4-5, 2B, 3 R, RBI. No one’s really noticed in Boston thanks to their dumpster fire of a season but JBJ is having his best season since 2016 hitting .274 with five home runs. It’s likely smoke and mirrors though, unfortunately, as his exit velocity, launch angle, and barrel rate are all way down.
Juan Soto (OF, WSH) – 4-6, 2B, 3 R, BB. I just wanted to point out that Juan Soto is hitting .353 on the year with 11 home runs and 12 doubles in just 39 games this year, all while walking more often than he’s struck out. If Soto isn’t a universal first-rounder next year in our eyes than I don’t know what we’re looking at.
Teoscar Hernández (OF, TOR) – 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI. I was worried when an oblique injury sent Hernandez to the IL that it would derail his breakout year but I was so, so wrong as he’s homered for the second time in three games since coming back. I’m so excited to see what he can do next year in a full season.
(Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)