Which Philadelphia Phillies Breakout Star Is Bigger Surprise?

The Philadelphia Phillies have had no shortage of breakout stars in 2024, but which has been the bigger surprise?

May 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Along with the Philadelphia Phillies getting solid contributions from their well-known superstars, they've also gotten major contributions from some surprise players.

The two biggest breakout stars have been Alec Bohm at the plate and Ranger Suarez on the mound, but which was a bigger surprise?

As MLB.com went through each team's most surprising development so far, they gave the nod to Bohm.

A former third overall selection in the 2018 MLB draft, he has had a couple of solid seasons since being called up in 2020 but never broke out into a real star player. That has changed, though, with him becoming one of baseball's best hitters this year.

Among qualified hitters, Bohm is ranked within the top-10 in the following categories: wOBA, RBI, doubles and WAR. He has easily been the Phillies' best hitter despite being on a squad with bats like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos.

One of the biggest changes in the 27-year-old's game so far has been his patience at the plate, chasing way fewer pitches. There is an 8.8% difference between this year and last in swings at balls outside of the zone.

His breakout hasn't really come from things that aren't replicable, so it's realistic for him to keep up this level of play for the majority of the season. Even if there is a bit of a fall off, he is finally showing the potential worthy of where he was selected.

As good as Suarez's year has been, it was a bit less surprising due to what he's done in the past, even if these numbers weren't quite expected.

The 28-year-old pitcher already had his Bohm-like breakout season back in 2021. He hasn't been bad since, but also hasn't maintained the same level of dominance. Now he's back to it and pitching better than ever.

It's a good problem for Philadelphia to have either way, but Bohm has definitely been the bigger surprise.