PHILADELPHIA — The Mets do not have to look far to find hope with their unproven but talented third basemen.
They could have just peeked at the opposing hot corner for the past few days.
Alec Bohm was the third-overall pick in 2018.
He immediately emerged as one of the best prospects in baseball and shot through the Phillies’ system, debuting in 2020.
He then hit a little and learned a lot.
From 2020-23, the Phillies third baseman posted a .731 OPS that was about league average.
He showed signs of improving — jumping from seven to 13 to 20 homers the past three seasons — and was allowed to fail at the major league level so he could learn to succeed at the major league level.
He had played 456 MLB games entering this season and only now is fully breaking out.
The 27-year-old entered play with a majors-best 16 doubles and was hitting .331 with a .919 OPS that had elevated him to the cleanup spot, right behind Bryce Harper.
It took several seasons, but the promise Bohm had shown in the minors finally has translated in a major way.
“For me it took a couple of years to really get comfortable and get confident out there,” Bohm said before his Phillies finished a series with the Mets at Citizens Bank Park.
“But I was lucky enough to be in a situation with our team and the staff that trusted me and let me go out there and make my mistakes and learn and continue to run me out there.”
Bohm then looked toward his counterparts.
“Those guys have their best baseball in front of them,” Bohm said of Brett Baty and Mark Vientos.
The Mets would sign up for a Bohm-type breakthrough from Baty or Vientos, who are now platooning after Baty’s bat did not come around early in the season.
Baty, like Bohm, was a top pick (12th in 2019) and like Bohm a top prospect who rose quickly (debuting in ’22). Baty has yet to turn minor league excellence into major league results.
He was given 108 MLB games to learn on the job last season and posted a .598 OPS. He entered play with a .609 OPS in his first 39 games, which led to the summoning of Vientos.
Vientos, a second-round pick in 2017, has demonstrated more ability with his bat in his short time in the majors but is seen as the worse defender.
Bohm has watched both and come away impressed, believing they can improve if given the chance.
“We’ve played against them a lot, and they’re both really talented. They’re both good,” Bohm said. “They obviously have mastered Triple-A. But that’s just the game. … It’s just really hard. It’s hard to put it all together and let all your talent show when you don’t get run out there every single day for 100 games straight.”
The Phillies allowed Bohm to be a middling hitter for years, partly because they did not have a better alternative and partly because the rest of the lineup carried its weight.
The Mets now are balancing two intriguing prospects and trying to find time for both in a lineup that has not hit much around them.
Bohm emphasized how difficult it is to hit major league pitching but said that he learned by continually getting the chance to hit big league pitching.
He hopes Baty and Vientos will get the same opportunity.
“It’s just hard,” Bohm said. “Everybody just wants to look at the numbers and the small sample size and say, ‘Oh, send them down.’
“It takes time. And everyone’s path to being the player they are isn’t the same.”
