He’s changing the script’: How a Paul Goldschmidt-inspired adjustment helped Alec Bohm’s timing at the plate

PITTSBURGH — Alec Bohm once was a hitter pitchers successfully could blow fastballs by. Last season, he was thrown 1,059 fastballs and batted .190 on that pitch. The main issue was his timing. He had trouble catching up to higher velocities, and in today’s game, an average fastball can come in anywhere from 96 or 97 to over 100 mph.

This no longer is a problem for Bohm. Pitchers are still throwing them his way — he’s gotten 849 fastballs so far this year — but now he’s batting .318 on those heaters. It’s not a coincidence. Bohm has been working with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long on his timing and position at the plate since before the lockout started, but a recent adjustment improved his timing even more and has resulted in a scorching hot streak that has turned the third baseman into one of the Phillies’ most productive hitters.

» READ MORE: Phillies at the trade deadline: Sizing up potential starting pitcher targets

When Bohm was in St. Louis, he saw a lot of Paul Goldschmidt’s at-bats. Goldschmidt, a four-time Silver Slugger and seven-time All-Star, is having a career year at age 34. He currently leads the majors with a .336 batting average and a .418 on-base percentage. Bohm watched the Cardinals first baseman’s at-bats and went to his hitting coach with a simple question: What makes Goldschmidt so successful?

Long came back to his pupil with a simple answer: Goldschmidt is always on time.

“I think it might have been the selling point (for Bohm),” Long said. “He was like, ‘OK, I can do this. If Goldschmidt can do it, I think I can do it as well.’ Sometimes you’ll talk to a player about getting into a better position, and they’re not necessarily buying in all the way. But seeing someone of Goldschmidt’s caliber, and he’s been good for a long time and he’s been doing this for a long time, that can be a selling point.”

» READ MORE: Nick Castellanos ‘just hasn’t been right, and he’s made it worse,’ says personal hitting coach

The next day, Long and Bohm headed to the batting cages. They decided to try something new: putting Bohm’s front foot down earlier, like Goldschmidt does. The results were instantaneous.

“(Goldschmidt’s) front foot is always down,” Long said. “So he’s reading while his foot is in the air. His foot is down, and then all he has to do is get his swing off. And that’s kind of what Alec is doing right now.

“It’s almost when the pitcher is releasing the ball, that you’ll see Bohm’s front foot is almost down. In the beginning, when we first tried it, it was a little later than that. But now, especially against Spencer Strider the other day, he was extremely early, and he was really, really excited about that. Because Bohmer catching up to 98-100, in years past, was nonexistent. And now he’s able to do it easy. We started trying this, and it was instant feedback, like wow.”

» READ MORE: Why the Phillies owner is always wandering around Citizens Bank Park

Since that hitting session with Long, Bohm rarely is late, and his numbers reflect that. He’s batting .472/.500/.556 with an 1.056 OPS since that series in St. Louis. He’s currently in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak. And, yes, he’s still being pitched fastballs. Long says pitchers can keep them coming.

“He was a .240 career hitter coming into this season on fastballs,” Long said. “And he’s changed the script dramatically. I think he’s excited about that. Especially for the fact that they continue to try to throw him fastballs because the numbers say in the past that he couldn’t catch up to them, but he’s changing the script.”

After Jeurys Familia gave up five earned runs in the ninth inning Thursday, nearly blowing a six-run lead, many fans were calling for the reliever to be designated for assignment. When asked about whether a move was being considered, interim manager Rob Thomson said the team hadn’t talked about it.

“He’s a valuable piece,” Thomson said. “Whatever he does on the field, it is what it is. He’s actually had, other than last night, some better outings lately. But what he does in the bullpen for those young kids, Seranthony [Domínguez] and those guys, is a plus. It’s a bonus. He’s teaching those guys how to be relievers and how to be professionals and how to get prepared properly. He brings a lot more to the table than just his performance.”

Second baseman Jean Segura, who currently is on a rehab assignment in triple-A Lehigh Valley, will DH on Friday night. He had four at-bats on Thursday night and got a base hit. He also made a nice backhanded play on defense. Thomson said he’s moving around well and his legs feel good. If Segura comes out of Friday night’s game well, they might play him nine innings on Saturday.