Phillies Use Third Overall Pick to Select 3B Alec Bohm
The Phillies had the third pick overall in tonight's 2018 MLB Draft. The first two picks by the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants, pretty much went as expected. The Tigers drafted right-handed pitcher Casey Mize out of Auburn and the Giants picked catcher Joey Bart from Georgia Tech.
Then with the third pick, the Phillies selected third baseman Alec Bohm out of Wichita State. The Phillies were rumored to be in on either Bohm or Nick Madrigal out of Oregon should Mize and Bart be off of the board when they picked.
Bohm just finished his junior year at Wichita State, batting .339 with 16 home runs and 55 runs batted in in 57 games.
A recent scouting report on Minor League Ball tabs Bohm as a polished player:
The thing that stands out most to me, having watched him develop over the last couple of years, is the very significant improvement in his approach. He was very aggressive as a freshman and while he was still productive, I felt his swing mechanics could get choppy and longish. He didn’t strike out that much but his strength didn’t always translate into game power.
That’s clearly changed over the last 18 months; he gets to his power very frequently now but at the same time he is more selective, his swing is more consistent, and his pure hitting skills have improved substantially. His track record with wood is excellent and at this point he projects to hit for power, hit for average, and get on base at a reasonable clip.
Bohm is 6'5 and weighs in at 220 pounds.
The second round takes place tonight, but the Phillies will not have another pick. The Phillies forfeited their second and third round picks in order to sign free agents Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta, respectively.
Check out a report from former third baseman Mike Lowell of MLB Network's to see Bohm in action: