Follow-up questions
Bohm, Realmuto, Castellanos fit the bill for Phils
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Admit it: You think you can manage the Phillies.
It’s OK. You’re not alone. Wannabe skippers are the fuel for sports-talk radio. Among the more popular items in the Phillies’ annual charity auction is a chance to assist with managing a spring-training game. Who among us hasn’t scribbled a lineup or two, or 100, or 1,000?
For two years, the discourse about the Phillies’ batting order centered on Rob Thomson’s choice of leadoff hitter. But whatever you might think of Kyle Schwarber — and no, he doesn’t run well or make enough contact — he gets on base and sees as many pitches as any hitter.
Oh, and the Phillies win a lot with him atop the order.
Besides, there’s a more important lineup question with a less obvious answer: Who should bat behind Bryce Harper?
Think about it: When opponents play the Phillies, they do whatever it takes to not allow him to beat them. Sometimes, that means pitching around him; other times, they take away his bat completely. Since 2019, Harper has drawn 50 intentional walks, trailing only Freddie Freeman (57), Shohei Ohtani (56), Juan Soto (55), and José Ramirez (55).
There’s one way to mitigate that strategy.
“You want a good hitter behind him,” Thomson said Wednesday after the Phillies worked out at the Carpenter Complex. “Because if there’s an open base, they’ll just walk him, and you’re trying to stay away from that.”
Last season, Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto batted behind Harper most often. Alec Bohm got an opportunity down the stretch and in the postseason after Thomson dropped the slumping Castellanos to the lower half of the order.
Given Thomson’s proclivity for alternating left-handed hitters and righties through the order, they are the top candidates to protect
Harper again.
Other than batting from the right side, Thomson listed two qualities that he will prioritize in placing a hitter behind Harper.
“Contact,” he said. “But probably also a guy that hits lefties pretty well.”
Bohm fits that description rather well.
Last season, Bohm had a lower strikeout rate (15.4%) than Realmuto (25.6%, a career high) and Castellanos (27.6%). He also batted .303 with a .929 OPS against lefties, consistent with his career totals of .314/.892.
Bohm also showed a knack for making teams regret not going after Harper. He homered after a Harper intentional walk in the sixth inning Aug. 29 against the Angels and delivered a game-winning single in the 10th inning after the Mets walked Harper on Sept. 22.
The biggest difference Bohm notices when he bats behind Harper: “I hit with a guy on base more often.”
And it seems to suit him. Bohm batted .309/.355/.479 last season with runners on base compared to a bases-empty mark of .242/.302/.399.
“Nobody on base, there’s not much that the game is telling you to do,” Bohm said. “That little devil on your shoulder of trying to take a guy deep can kind of creep in in those situations. The more often that there’s a task at hand and something to be done, you’re more locked in on an approach. You’re just trying to see the ball, get a good pitch, and do what you do and not necessarily trying to do anything special.
“I don’t think there’s a huge difference in what pitches they use when I’m behind Bryce, but maybe the intent might be a little [different].”
Likewise, Realmuto said he doesn’t notice a difference in the way he’s pitched when batting behind Harper compared to any other spot in the lineup. If anything, batting in front of Harper — or any star slugger — could result in getting more fastballs or more pitches in the strike zone.
But Realmuto conceded that protecting Harper does bring a level of responsibility.
“There’s certainly a little more pressure on somebody hitting behind Bryce because you’re going to have more opportunities to come through,” Realmuto said. “He’s going to be on base a lot. You’re going to see them kind of working around him sometimes. That’s just part of it.”
Realmuto went 34-for130 (.262) with five doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 15 walks behind Harper last year. He’s also coming off his worst offensive season since his rookie year with the Marlins, which prompted him to make adjustments to his swing to handle inside pitches more effectively.
Castellanos was the initial choice to bat behind Harper last season and might get the first crack at it again. He went 58-for210 (.276) with 13 doubles and eight homers behind Harper last season and has a strong history against lefties (.324 average, .930 OPS last season; .304 and .880 for his career).
But Castellanos went through extreme peaks and valleys at the plate last season. Will he be able to provide a consistent deterrent for teams to go after Harper?
“Nobody likes the guy in front of them getting intentionally walked in any situation,” Realmuto said. “Honestly, for me, it makes you focus a little more. You get a little more intense. You want to do well in that situation. You want to make that manager regret that decision.”
At least Thomson has choices. And if it isn’t working out, there won’t be a shortage of armchair managers to offer suggestions.