Since his rookie 2020 season, the one sticking point of Alec Bohm’s has been his poor play on the defensive side of the ball.
Crowned as one of the worst defenders at the third base position over the last few seasons and even ridiculed by a rival team’s broadcast, Bohm has made incredible strides to become a complete ball player and increase his value.
Of course, everyone knows how it started.
While his defensive success didn’t come directly after this moment, it marked the turnaround for Bohm after what had been just over a season of underperformance.
The 27-year-old has spent countless hours on the field before games and on off days training with Phillies infield coach and defensive guru Bobby Dickerson. As many players have said, his expectation of excellence and his unique training styles make him one of the top defensive trainers in baseball.
Dickerson’s influence is not only on the physical parts of the game but the mental side too. In a conversation with Bohm in 2022, Dickerson had some relieving words (subscription required) for the young third baseman.
“Maybe you’re not a major-league third baseman,” Dickerson said to Bohm, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “The bottom line is, as long as you stress about it, then we will never know. Right? As long as you put your work in, and you present yourself the best opportunity to stay here and play here, then you can go home and live with it no matter what happens.”
The Nebraska native took those words, and many others, to heart and has worked on becoming a serviceable, if not an above-average defensive MLB third baseman.
