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Phillies reach agreements with first-rounder Alec Bohm, 19 other picks

They also came to terms with six college pitchers, part of a strategy to load up arms.

Alec Bohm, the Phillies third-overall pick in last week's draft, was introduced in Philly on Tuesday after he and the team agreed to terms.
Alec Bohm, the Phillies third-overall pick in last week's draft, was introduced in Philly on Tuesday after he and the team agreed to terms.Read moreDAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer
    by Philly.com Staff
    Published 

Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm will officially join the Phillies, the team announced Tuesday.

The Phillies and the third overall pick in the MLB draft agreed to terms, but details of them were not released.

Bohm played for the Shockers after he went undrafted in 2015. He finished his college career as one of Division I's premier power hitters. In his final season, he hit .339 with 16 home runs and a .625 slugging percentage.

"He's got a lot of leverage in that swing. He can drive the ball out to all parts of the field," director of amateur scouting Johnny Almaraz said after the draft. "He's got what I call wide-field power, meaning that he can hit home runs from gap to gap. …We loved the bat. We loved the offensive capabilities."

It's not clear where Bohm will start in the Phillies system. They could send him to low-A Lakewood or push him to high-A Clearwater. Either way, they expect him to move through the system quickly (and here's why that's a good thing).

In addition to signing Bohm, the Phillies agreed to terms with three other picks from the first 10 rounds: center fielder Matt Vierling out of Notre Dame (fifth round), Georgia high school shortstop Logan Simmons (sixth round) and Seth Lancaster, a shortstop from Coastal Carolina (eighth round).

Like Bohm, Vierling is expected to move through the minors reasonably quickly. Vierling struggled against wooden-bat competition in last summer's Cape Cod League, but that doesn't concern Almaraz.

"He had a tremendous workout," Almaraz said after Vierling was drafted. "He checked all the boxes as far as us liking him in that spot and believing that he's a prospect for us."

The Phillies reached agreements with 16 other players, including six college pitchers. This is part of a team strategy to pile up arms since the Phillies didn't have a second- or third-round pick (which they had to give away to sign free agents Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta). They're hoping a few of the college arms pan out.

Here are the 16 others who came to terms: James McArthur (RHP, 12th round), Jose Mercado (SS, 13th round) Matt Kroon (3B, 18th round), Mark Potter (RHP, 19th round), Connor Litton (3B, 20th round), Luke Miller (OF, 22nd round). Logan O'Hoppe (C, 23rd round), Corbin Williams (OF, 24th round), Adam Cox (RHP, 25th round), Eric White (RHP, 26th round), Jaylen Smith (LHP, 29th round), Tyler Carr (RHP, 31st round), Ben Aklinski (OF, 32nd round), Nick Matera (C, 34th round), Austin Ross (RHP, 35th round), and Trent Bowles (OF, 36th round).

See all the Phillies draft picks and get to know some of them here.