The Phillies are giving a new challenge to one of their top prospects.
Third baseman Alec Bohm was officially promoted to Class A Advanced Clearwater after tearing it up at Lakewood in the first month.
At Class A Lakewood, Bohm hit .367/.441/.595 in 93 plate appearances with nine doubles, three homers and 11 RBI. He had nearly as many walks (12) as strikeouts (14).
It was clearly time for a move up the minor-league ladder.
Bohm, the third overall pick last June out of Wichita State, should be a relatively fast riser. He's not some raw teenager, he's a soon-to-be 23-year-old with some polish.
Bohm entered the season as MLB.com's No. 59 prospect. He was ranked 65th by Baseball America. If he keeps this up, he should move up 20 or 30 spots by the time midseason lists are formed.
There's no real reason to rush Bohm, but if he hits well at Clearwater, you wonder if he could make it to Double A Reading by season's end. This is a player who could be ready to help the Phillies in a meaningful way as soon as 2021.
MLB
Bohm still has much to prove but his timeline matches up well with Maikel Franco's. Franco is set for free agency after the 2021 season.