Bohm Lags on Pull Plays

A look at why Bohm struggles to pull the ball and what it means for the Phillies.

Bohm Lags on Pull Plays as Phillies Power Gap Grows

Alec Bohm is a strong contact hitter for the Phillies, but his pull rate in the air is unusually low. He ranks with the lowest pull frequency on the team and among players league wide, with only 7.8 percent of batted balls pulled in the air. That contrasts with teammates like Kyle Schwarber, who pulls about 30.7 percent, and with J.T. Realmuto who lags behind Bohm on the pull. Bohm also shows a high contact quality, posting lead percentile marks in xBA from 2022 to 2024, and he does not strike out often. Yet his power output lags behind the level one might expect from a strong contact hitter.

The reason Bohm does not pull more of the ball comes down to swing timing and contact angle. For a right handed hitter who stands on the left side of the plate, pulling the ball means swinging earlier and making contact with the ball as the bat moves toward the pull side. Bohm tends to contact the ball with the bat angled toward the opposite field, and his fast swing rate is well down the list among his teammates. The result is more opposite field contact and fewer hard hit balls that travel toward the pull corner, which often lead to bigger power gains. Adjusting toward more pull hits would require changes to his swing and timing, and such changes could trade power for contact quality and raise the risk of whiffs. It is not a simple switch to flip, even though it could unlock more power if done carefully.

Analytically, Bohm sits at a crossroads where contact quality is high but power production could rise with more balls pulled into the air. The data show a clear pattern: swing timing and the angle of contact determine whether a ball becomes a pull hit. The Phillies face a familiar dilemma between maintaining a high contact rate and chasing extra base hits via pull hits. Any attempt to alter Bohm's approach would likely change other outcomes, including strikeouts and hard contact. Teams face similar choices when a player has a solid batting average and on base potential but wants more thump in the lineup. The key question for Bohm and the coaching staff is whether a controlled shift toward pull hitting can yield net gains without eroding the strong contact profile they already enjoy.

In the end, the decision hinges on risk versus reward. A modest adjustment could lift power while preserving contact, but a larger shift might widen the gap between power and average. The Phillies need a careful plan that preserves Bohm's plate discipline while giving him room to grow power without harming overall production.

Highlights

The next few weeks could reveal whether Bohm can broaden his power without losing his contact edge.