Bryson Stott’s dominant start at the plate brings hope for the future
It hasn’t been the easiest first nine games for the Phillies, but second-year infielder Bryson Stott has shown signs of consistency…something he struggled with in 2022.
Stott made the Opening Day roster in ’22 and was the starting shortstop for the first month of the season. The lefty hit just .133/.161/.167 in April, where he was later optioned to Triple-A as a liability in the Phillies’ offense.
The road for Stott was never going to be easy. He came right from Double-A to the Majors and had a lot of weight on his shoulders, with Phililes fans deeming him the shortstop for years to come in just his early 20s.
Bryson Stott hit throughout the year but never found true consistency. He hit .226 in July, .287 in August, .244 in September, and .389 in October. He was all over the place, especially against righties, logging just a .623 OPS on the season. Stott struggled in the playoffs but did contribute with some big hits throughout the Phillies’ magical run to the World Series.
Stott talked in the offseason about finding consistency while analyzing his swing. He knew how pitchers were beating him, a high fastball. Stott worked on it during the offseason, along with other things, and brought a bit of a swing change into the year…it’s paying off more than ever.
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The now Phillies second baseman, after adding Trea Turner to an already-stacked lineup, is hitting .429/.444/.514 on the season. He leads the team in hits with 15. He’s hit in every single game played this season and hasn’t had a day off yet. Bryson Stott has logged six multi-hit games in nine total games in 2023, which leads the league.
Bryson Stott Walk-Off Single on Saturday
I was a big advocate for the Bryson Stott breakout season heading into this season, but he’s blown away everyone’s expectations. He trails just Matt Champan, Luis Arraez, Adam Duvall, and Vlad Guerrero Jr in batting average league-wide and is tied for 6th in hits. He’s three games away from the all-time Phillies hit streak record to start a season, which is currently held by Didi Gregorius (11).
He simply just looks more comfortable. Stott struggled with that in his rookie season, as it seemed that he always felt behind, even when he was ahead of the pitcher. He’s putting a confident stroke on the ball and remembering that everything doesn’t need to be hit hard. You put the ball in play, and good things happen.
Bryson Stott’s hitting like a leadoff hitter in the 5 or 6 holes. He’s finally remembered that the best pitch you’re going to get, especially late in the order, is probably the first pitch. He’s hitting .667/.667/.667 on 0-0 counts, along with .750/.750/.750 when falling behind 0-1. He’s not blundering once he goes down, something he struggled with last season.
Do you move Stott up in the lineup? Do you keep him right where he is and don’t change anything? History tells you to leave him toward the middle of the lineup to keep his confidence, but the Phillies may need Stott’s production up toward the top after a brutal weekend from Trea, Schwarber, and JT.
