School: Wichita State
Position: 3B
Height/Weight: 6’5″, 230
B/T: R/R
D.O.B.: 8/3/1996
Previously Drafted: Wasn’t Drafted in 2015
Scouting Reports:
High School:
Bohm (pronounced Bomb) is from Omaha, Nebraska and attended Omaha Roncalli Catholic High School. Roncalli is a smaller school with a current enrollment of 345 students. He was not drafted when eligible in 2015 but was the 10th best 3B in the nation according to Perfect Game. The publication also ranked him as the #157 overall player in the class. Alec lettered all four years at Roncalli and led the state of Nebraska with a .553 average. The big right-hander was rated as the top player in Nebraska in the 2015 class according to Perfect Game and MaxPreps. He also earned Academic All-State First Team honors in 2014 and 2015. According to their scouting report, Bohm had a very strong build and hit from a square stance. They noted that he showed plenty of strength in batting practice and has a short, quick stride with good hand path to the ball and power to all fields. The profile also said that he, “creates leverage with his lower half and has the ability to get the barrel to balls down in the zone”. They did mention however that he didn’t look comfortable at shortstop defensively, but showed good athletic actions at third base with good range and flashes the ability to throw from differing arm slots.
College:
Bohm continues to exude power and patience at the plate and the 21-year-old is an integral cog in the Shockers’ program. He is displaying impressive power with 14 homers and 51 RBI to go along with a .243 ISO this season. Alec is hitting .333/.435/.611 in the Missouri Valley Conference while posting a .wOBA of .434. The prodigious game power can be considered a carrying tool but his approach and plate discipline could be the difference in what he ultimately becomes offensively. The big Nebraskan has walked 36 times this year compared to only 22 strikeouts and is carrying a walk rate of 14.7%.
The 6’5″, 230 pounder saw action upon arriving in Wichita as a Freshman back in 2016. He hit .303/.346/.489 and smacked 6 homers while driving in 30 runs in 51 games. He did not provide the same profile and flash the plate discipline that has turned him into the prospect that he’s become today however. In his first season with the Shockers, Bohm struck out 25 times while being awarded only 9 free passes. Bohm was still named to the All Freshman First Team and was an All Missouri Valley 2nd Team member. He was also named an All American by Collegiate Baseball. After his first season in the Valley, Bohm played in the Coastal Plains League and hit .330/.407/.502 while showing a propensity to hit with wood bats for the first time. The Coastal Plains League is a wood-bat collegiate summer league that was founded in 1997 and has 16 teams located across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. Some of the top college players in the country participate in the league each year.
After making some adjustments playing over the summer, Bohm returned and excelled for the Shockers during his Sophomore campaign. In 58 games for Wichita State, he hit .305/.385/.519 with 11 homers and 40 RBI. His plate approach improved dramatically as well and he struck out 31 times compared to 29 walks. His season earned him a spot on the All-Valley First Team. Prior to his impressive junior season, Bohm also played for the Falmouth Commodores in the CCBL. The Cape Cod Baseball League is a collegiate summer league in Massachusetts that is an annual summit for scouts and prospect hounds. Over 260 CCBL participants have made it to the major leagues to date and playing well on “The Cape” can go a long way toward propping up draft status. That is exactly what Alec Bohm did on his way to earning a league All-Star nod after hitting .351/.399/.513 with 5 homers, 10 doubles and 28 knocked in.
Fielding, BP, and In-Game Looks at Bohm courtesy of Fangraphs
Cape Cod League BP Session from 2080Baseball.com
Bohm vs East Carolina from March 2018 courtesy of 2080baseball.com
Mlbpipeline.com lists Alec Bohm as the #11 rated prospect in the 2018 draft class. The site has the large right-handed slugger listed at 240 pounds which differs from some other publications. They note that he does a good job of tapping into his “considerable power potential” and he “manages the strike zone well”. The report also states that Alec makes consistent hard contact from the right side and doesn’t sell out to hit home runs because it is unnecessary for him to do so. Bohm is also referred to as a diligent worker that has tried to improve his defensive skills at third base but it is noted that he lacks quickness and range while displaying just “fair” hands and average arm strength. The guys at mlbpipeline state that he’s in the discussion to be a top-5 pick on June 4th but they think his 50 arm and 45 field scouting grades could ultimately move him over to first base as a pro. His offensive upside does profile over there however.
Baseball America lists Alec Bohm as the #6 player in the 2018 draft class. They call him one of the most “impressive hitters in the class” and they’ve noted that he has positioned himself to go very early in the first round. The publication mentions that he brings a vast amount of strength to the batter’s box, which helps provide some of the best raw power in the country. They noted his “improved plate discipline” this year and wrote extensively about his decreased strikeout rate and significantly improved walk rate. Baseball America also surmises that Bohm has an “exceptional understanding of the strike zone and always seems to have a plan”. He also has figured out how to make adjustments within a given at-bat. The writers also said that some scouts think Bohm will eventually have to move to first base, while others believe his strong arm will be enough to stay at the hot corner.
Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs is optimistic that Alec Bohm ends up being a third baseman. McDaniel saw Wichita State back in April and noted that he’s a “solid enough athlete but a fringey runner”. The analyst thinks he can stick at third base with sneaky quickness to project as average to possibly a little above at the hot corner with a plus arm. McDaniel noted that Shockers’ infielder Greyson Jenista was seen as the better prospect heading into the season but Bohm has overtaken him and projects as a top 5 selection that could go as high as #3 overall. Kiley repeated the sentiments of some scouts’ whispers that Bohm was doing similar things to Kris Bryant in college. McDaniel made it a point to say that Bohm isn’t seen as that caliber of a prospect but also noted that he isn’t that far off from the projection. The Fangraphs writer is a big fan of Bohm’s bat and has referenced his 70-grade raw power. McDaniel said that Alec does a great job of “keeping his hands tucked in and limiting his land load to to keep his stroke short”. He can hit an opposite field home run with the “flick of a wrist”. He does also mention that the naysayers will see that his “hands aren’t loaded in an ideal position for power with his bat sticking straight up rather than being coiled around his head at foot plant” but he believes that the power is so good that it likely doesn’t matter.
Scouting Grades:
Note: These scouting grades are from mlbpipeline.com. His grades fluctuate across publications. Kiley McDaniel pegs Bohm’s power as a 70 on the 20-80 scale and other outlets are much higher on his arm and defense as well.
Hit: 55
Power: 55
Run: 35
Arm: 50
Field: 45
Prospect Overview and Future Outlook:
Alec Bohm’s draft stock has gained helium as the year has gone on. He was seen as a mid-first-round prospect six months ago but now he’s in the discussion to be selected within the top five picks on June 4th. College hitters usually rise to the top of draft boards due to their easy trajectory and advanced development stage and this year has been no different. Scouts have mentioned some issues with the swing and the ability to stay at third base but his patient approach, power and proven wood bat ability should propel him to the top of the draft class.
At this point, it seems likely that this Wichita State product will have a new team very early on on draft night. Many draft analysts have linked Bohm to the Philadelphia Phillies at this early juncture but it would be a surprise if he’s on the board past the first hour of the draft telecast. Staying at third base as a professional will likely determine how impactful he eventually becomes but the bat will play even if it’s as a first baseman or designated hitter. Over the past couple seasons, the White Sox have added players through the draft with similar profiles to Bohm. Zack Collins and Jake Burger are both power and plate discipline prospects with defensive questions and last year’s 2nd rounder Gavin Sheets, who our Matt Cassidy recently profiled here, is also a power and .OBP type that will be relegated to first base. It’s unknown whether or not Rick Hahn and Nick Hostetler would be willing to add another guy with a similar profile but the first round is usually determined by who the best player on the board is by the team’s reckoning.
The White Sox haven’t been directly linked to Bohm at this stage because most mock projections have him pegged for an earlier slot than #4 overall. Most of the players that the Sox have been tied to are college players, specifically hitters and they could fall into a situation in which they are taking the best available of the college options.
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom, if on a mobile device) and click the “create subscription” button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.