Alec Bohm’s move across the diamond will not make his offensive numbers worse. It will make them considerably harder for the Phillies to overlook.
That is the distinction created by Philadelphia’s acquisition of Luis Arraez and the defensive chain reaction required to place him at second base. Bryson Stott will move from second to third, Bryce Harper will return to right field and Bohm will replace Harper at first.
Bohm is not being asked to learn an entirely unfamiliar position. He started 59 games at first base in 2023 and has appeared there periodically throughout his major-league career. At 6-foot-4, he provides a large target for the rest of the infield, and the shorter throws and reduced lateral demands could make him a steadier defender there than he has been at third.
None of that changes the offensive standard attached to the position.
Bohm entered the transition batting .226 with a .284 on-base percentage, 13 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .647 OPS over 399 at-bats. Those numbers were already disappointing for an everyday third baseman expected to provide right-handed production in the middle of Philadelphia’s lineup.
Compared with the players currently occupying first base around the majors, the numbers become even more alarming.
There were 28 qualified first basemen entering Monday. Kyle Manzardo ranked last among that group with a .684 OPS. Bohm’s .647 mark was 37 points lower, meaning his current production would fall beneath every qualified first baseman in baseball. Manzardo also had 13 home runs, the same total as Bohm, but carried a higher .306 on-base percentage.
That comparison requires one important clarification. Bohm has spent most of the season at third base, so he is not officially listed among the qualified first basemen. This is a comparison of what his existing offensive line would look like if placed alongside the players at his new position.
The answer is clear: it would rank at the bottom.
Even the first basemen near the lower end of the leaderboard have generally provided more offense. Gavin Sheets entered Monday with a .711 OPS. Jake Burger was at .718, Nolan Schanuel at .726 and Spencer Torkelson at .738. Bohm was at least 64 points behind each of them.
The contrast within the Phillies’ own lineup is just as striking.
Harper, the player Bohm is replacing at first, carried an .857 OPS and ranked eighth among qualified first basemen. Philadelphia is not removing Harper’s bat from the lineup, of course. It is moving that production to right field. But from a positional standpoint, the Phillies are replacing one of baseball’s most productive first-base bats with an offensive line that would rank below every qualified player at the position.
That does not mean the alignment is automatically a mistake. The Phillies acquired Arraez because their offense needed another hitter capable of reaching base and creating consistent traffic. Arraez gives them an elite contact hitter, while Harper’s move to right allows the Phillies to keep Bohm’s right-handed bat in the lineup.
The question is whether Bohm produces enough to justify that decision.
His offensive profile has traditionally been built around contact, doubles and situational hitting rather than overwhelming home-run power. At his best, Bohm uses the entire field, drives pitches into the gaps and provides balance between Philadelphia’s left-handed threats.
But that profile depends heavily on his batting average. Bohm does not walk frequently enough or hit enough home runs to compensate when the hits stop falling. When his average drops into the .220s, there is little secondary production available to support his overall line.
That becomes more damaging at first base because the position carries less defensive value. FanGraphs’ WAR framework applies a substantial negative positional adjustment to first basemen because the position is less demanding than third base, shortstop or second base. A player moving to first therefore needs his bat to carry a greater share of his overall value.
There is a possible benefit. First base could simplify Bohm’s defensive responsibilities and allow him to concentrate more completely on his at-bats. Greater comfort in the field could help prevent defensive frustration from following him to the plate.
That remains a theory, not a solution. Changing positions does not repair timing, swing decisions or the quality of contact.
Bohm’s move to first does not create his offensive problems. It takes a struggling bat and places it at the position where those shortcomings are most difficult to hide.
For the Phillies’ new alignment to work, Bohm cannot merely be competent with the glove. He must begin producing like a first baseman.
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