baycare — © Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Top Phillies Prospect on Making Opening Day Roster

Bryson Stott joined 58 fellow Philadelphia Phillies minor leaguers at mini-camp Wednesday and the 24-year-old shortstop is ready to make a push for the Opening Day roster.

Author:
Ben Silver
Feb 17, 2022 3:00 PM EST

Bryson Stott has conquered opposition pitching at every stop he’s made. It’s been five years and a journey from freshman year of college up to Triple-A since a then 19-year-old Stott last had an OPS below .800.

Now he’s battling 32-year-old veteran Didi Gregorius for a place at the major league level and a spot where pressure is upon Stott to perform not just for himself, but for the whole team.

The 24-year-old from Las Vegas certainly feels ready to play in the big leagues. In an article by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Stott talked about his progress through the minors and how anxious he was to keep moving.

“‘I want to go.’ My mom always tells me I get to one place for a month and I want to go,” Stott said.

His progress through the minor leagues, especially in 2021, is indicative of that. Stott played with four different clubs last year and excelled at every single one of them.

In just his second year of minor league baseball, Stott began the year at High-A in Jersey Shore with the BlueClaws, where he slashed .288/.453/.548 with five home runs in 95 plate appearances. True to his word, Stott started in High-A at the beginning of May, and by June 1, he was promoted to Double-A Reading.

With the Fightin’ Phils, Stott slashed .301/.368/.481 and knocked 10 homers in 351 plate appearances. There he stayed until a late season promotion sent him to Lehigh Valley where Stott played for only a few weeks and continued to impress.

With the Iron Pigs, Stott slashed .303/.439/.394 in 41 plate appearances. For many minor league players this would be the finishing touches on an extraordinary season, but Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski wanted more.

Thus, Stott found himself last fall playing baseball in Peoria for the Phillies Arizona Fall League affiliate. There, he found perhaps more undiscovered hitting talent. For just over a month and 119 plate appearances, Stott demolished Fall League pitching.

His slashline was .318/.445/.489 with 2 home runs and five stolen bases. Conscious of his potential shortcomings, fall baseball wasn’t just about hitting for the young shortstop, Stott and his coaches focused on making him a big league fielder as well.

“Going to Arizona… we really focused on the defensive part and getting me ready to play short,” Stott continued, “If I have to move over, it is what it is. I just want to do anything I can do to get to Philadelphia and help that city and that team win.”

Stott has been criticized for his defensive ability at his natural position. He could potentially be great at second or third-base, but some have called him a "bat-first" shortstop. Of course, if Stott can make the Phillies on his bat alone, there’s always room for a top hitter at a premium defensive position on the infield, even if that position isn’t shortstop.

Nevertheless, if Stott can hone his defensive skills at the most demanding defensive position in baseball, his value could skyrocket, and presently, the Phillies most vacant infield spot is Stott’s natural position.