Don’t blink or you’ll miss the ball Caden Bogenpohl demolished for his second career homer.
The Phillies’ 2026 second-rounder had the swing of the night in Single-A Clearwater’s 12-10 victory over Fort Myers at Hammond Stadium on Friday night, smacking a three-run home run in the fifth inning off right-hander Brad Rudis (Twins).
“Not a traditional guy on the mound throwing submarine, so I really just wanted to make sure I had good sight and really just focused on lifting the ball. I executed and got the result," Bogenpohl told MLB.com. "I didn't really feel that one. That’s always a good sign.”
With the caveat of the homer coming off a Single-A hurler, the exit velocity from Bogenpohl's blast (117.1 MPH) exceeds any produced by a big league member of the Phillies in the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015. (Kyle Schwarber holds seven of the top 10 marks, including the top spot of 116.7 mph on a roundtripper back on April 8, 2025.)
“It's super cool to be on a list with those guys," Bogenpohl admitted. "It's super, super surreal. Just very blessed and thankful to be in this opportunity and have a God-given ability to hit a baseball really hard. It's pretty, pretty cool to see my name up there with everyone else.”
In addition to the homer, two of Bogenpohl's singles clocked in north of triple digits as well -- 107 mph in the first and 116.6 mph in the eighth.
COMPLETE PHILLIES PROSPECT COVERAGE
Philadelphia’s No. 8 prospect logged a four-hit night amidst a hot start to his professional career, as he's 14-for-33 (.424) through nine games. His high exit velocity highlights his offensive profile and the upside of his power as he begins his journey through affiliated ball.
The Phillies took Bogenpohl out of Missouri State at No. 64 overall, signing for around slot ($1,416,600). The 21-year-old posted consecutive 1.000 OPS seasons in 2024 and '25 and closed out his collegiate career this spring with another productive season (.427 OBP), though his power took a major dip (6 HR, .414 SLG) from previous campaigns.
“Obviously a dream come true," Bogenpohl explained. "It's always been my goal to play professional ball and getting drafted starts out of that. So just try to try to take it all in and just soak it all up and have as much fun as possible. Really just focus on finishing out the year, the last couple of weeks we've got and just propel myself into the offseason and getting ready for what I need to work on.”
Bogenpohl tallied 39 homers in 165 collegiate games, shaping his 55-grade power tool.
“It's always gonna be how consistently I can get in the air and how consistently I can pull the ball in the air as well," Bogenpohl explained. "I’ll be working on some things as soon as the season ends. I think me and the guys over here in Clearwater have a good understanding of what I need to do and where I need to be at.”
Bogenpohl sets out on his development path, looking up at a pair of fellow left-handed sluggers in the organization to emulate -- Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
“It's crazy, I've been watching those guys on TV since I was 10 years old," Bogenpohl said. "It’s super cool to be in that organization and see what they do every day. It's a super cool opportunity for me.
"Watching the big league club, they're in the playoff race. It’s obviously pretty cool to keep up with them as well. So just a lot of good baseball going around, but I'm really just trying to focus on myself and this team right now to finish out the season strong."