Bohm’s Away
Alec Bohm (PHI): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI.
Give it to Alec Bohm of the Phillies: He knows how to have a big game, especially at the end or beginning of the month.
For the season, the Phillies’ third baseman is slashing .280/.323/.432 with a .755 OPS. That also includes nine home runs and 54 RBI in 285 plate appearances in 2023. It’s a solid line, though unspectacular, for a corner infielder regarding fantasy production.
However, when looking at his splits, it’s interesting how his numbers have been boosted by two particular games: Opening Day and the first of July, which was yesterday against the Nationals.
On Opening Day against the Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Bohm went three-for-four with a home run and three RBI. It certainly was an impressive way for Bohm and the Phillies to start the year, coming off their NL Pennant run in 2022.
Yesterday, Bohm produced a performance that was even better than his Opening Day explosion. In the Phillies’ 19-4 win over MacKenzie Gore and the Nationals, Bohm went four-for-five with two home runs and six RBI. Going into the game, Bohm was hitting .270 with an OPS of .715. After Saturday’s win, these numbers improved by 10 and 40 points, respectively.
What a difference a game makes.
Interestingly enough, Bohm’s monthly splits paint a bit of a different picture from his Opening Day and July 1st performances.
In April, May, and June, Bohm posted OPS numbers of .693, .681, and .689, respectively. Those are far from impressive marks, especially for a hitter who plays his home games in a hitter’s haven like Citizens Bank Ballpark.
How Bohm fares in July, an abbreviated month due to the All-Star Break, will be worth watching, especially for any fantasy manager who has stock in Bohm (he is rostered in 70% of Yahoo leagues and 67% of ESPN leagues, as of Sunday). Will Bohm finally post an OPS over .700 this month? Or will that under .700 OPS mark continue in July and carry over into the second half of play after the All-Star Break?
Bohm can only lean on those two big performances for so long.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Manny Machado (SD): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
After a rough start in April and an injury-plagued May, fantasy managers are starting to see Machado turn a corner. The Padres’ third baseman hit .262 in June with a .713 OPS. That also included four home runs and 14 RBI in 113 plate appearances last month. The trend continued into the first game of July, as Machado hit two home runs and collected three RBI in a big win over the scorching Reds (during Taylor Swift weekend in Cincinnati nonetheless). It’s looking like Machado is due for a big second half, which is big news for a disappointing Padres team.
Matt Chapman (TOR): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.
Chapman may have lost out to Texas’ Josh Jung in the All-Star fan vote for the starting third base position, but that hasn’t affected him at the plate. On Saturday, he collected two hits, two RBI, two runs, a home run, a double, and a stolen base, all on Canada nonetheless. Chapman is hitting .266 for the year with an .809 OPS and he’s probably en route to another Gold Glove at the hot corner by season’s end. Expect Chapman in Seattle for the All-Star game, even if he may not be starting.
Rafael Devers (BOS): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
The Red Sox ruined the Canada Day festivities at the Rogers Centre, with Devers being the main culprit. The Red Sox third baseman collected three hits, three RBI, and a home run, the latter being his 20th of the year. The average doesn’t look great (.248) but he’s still posting solid power numbers and a strong OPS at .816. He may not have gotten much attention in the All-Star vote due to Jung and Chapman, but Devers continues to be a stellar fantasy producer in 2023.
J.P. Crawford (SEA): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Tampa’s Tyler Glasnow has been flat-out dominating as of late, as he parlayed his 12-strikeout performance last Sunday against the Royals with an 11-strikeout outing on Saturday against the Mariners. While Glasnow’s strikeout numbers were impressive, he did make a huge mistake to Crawford, who launched a solo home run off of him in the third inning. Crawford continues to be a better player in actual baseball than fantasy, as he only has seven home runs and one stolen base, which isn’t exactly what one wants from a middle infielder. That said, he is posting a .743 OPS this season, which makes him a bit more tolerable in leagues that use OPS as a scoring category.
Zach McKinstry (DET): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, SB.
After hitting .301 with a .865 OPS in May, McKinstry nosedived in June, as he only hit .180 with a .485 OPS in 94 plate appearances. Last month was a disappointing showing, especially after McKinstry suddenly jumped on the radar of fantasy managers everywhere by Memorial Day. Yesterday though, McKinstry had a performance that was closer to his May self than his June one, as he had two hits, a home run, and a stolen base in the Tigers’ 4-2 win over the Rockies at Coors Field. Is May McKinstry back? That’s hard to tell after just one game in July, but he’s worth paying attention to for now, especially since he is eligible for four positions in Yahoo leagues (2B, SS, 3B, OF).
Raimel Tapia (MIL): 2-3, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB.
After getting released by the Red Sox, Tapia found another home in Milwaukee, who are looking for anything to help spark their offense and help them keep pace with the Reds in the Central division. In 10 games with the Brew Crew, Tapia is hitting .167 with a .693 OPS, but he made progress in the right direction on Saturday. In the Brewers’ 11-8 victory over the Pirates, Tapia had two hits, three RBI, and a home run, his performance in Milwaukee to date. With rookie Joey Wiemer struggling (.208 average; 29.2% K rate), Tapia has an opportunity to earn more playing time in the second half, if he can string together performances like this more often.
Eloy Jiménez (CWS): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
When he’s healthy, Jiménez can be one of the most feared hitters in the league, as I alluded to in a Going Deep piece this offseason. Unfortunately, much like death and taxes, Jiménez has struggled to stay healthy, as he has only played in 52 of the White Sox’s 85 total games this year. When on the field though, the numbers are solid, as he is hitting .271 with a .801 OPS and he has 11 home runs and 36 RBI to boot. The hard-hit numbers continue to be impressive, though the decrease in sweet-spot percentage (31.7% in 2022; 26.6% so far in 2023) is a disappointing development. If Jiménez can stay healthy in the second half though, he could be a fantasy monster, especially if that sweet-spot percentage can improve just a bit.
Andrew Knizner (STL): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Willson Contreras got the first game of the Saturday double-header off and Knizner not only helped Jack Flaherty find a sterling performance on the mound, but he also produced at the plate in the Cardinals’ 11-4 victory in game one of the two-game slate against the Yankees yesterday. The 28-year-old catcher collected two hits, and two RBI, and scored two runs. Knizner doesn’t offer much in terms of fantasy though, even in two-catcher leagues, as he is only hitting .221 with a .673 OPS and five home runs in 109 plate appearances this season.
Anthony Volpe (NYY): 2-4, 3B, 2 R, RBI.
The Volpe hype was huge this season, and unfortunately, the rookie has failed to meet those expectations, as evidenced by his .220 average and .681 OPS in 308 plate appearances this season. That said, he did collect four hits total on Saturday between the two games in St. Louis on Saturday, which helped him improve his OPS from its .665 mark entering Saturday’s game. Volpe did hit .265 with a .768 OPS in 76 plate appearances in June, and he did walk eight times last month, which was three more than his total walks in May (and this was over 116 plate appearances). The attention has cooled off on Volpe for now, so fantasy managers looking for middle infield help should look to take a flier on him (rostered in 49% of Yahoo leagues; 36% of ESPN leagues), especially if he can continue to build off this June performance in the second half.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)