USATSI_18097866 — © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Rookie Bryson Stott's Plate Discipline is Keeping Him in the Lineup

Philadelphia Phillies rookie Bryson Stott has not looked confident at the plate, but his discipline has kept his head above water.

Author:
Ben Silver
Jul 12, 2022 3:00 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

It's not fair to say the Bryson Stott experiment has been a total failure. Even Mike Trout's rookie year OPS was .672, but Stott's major league baptism has not gone well.

Drawing comparisons to Scott Kingery, the Philadelphia Phillies' last middle infield prospect bust, the 24-year-old Las Vegas native has struggled in almost every category. Yet, one thing has kept Stott's season afloat, and oddly enough, it's not his defense.

Since June 4, Stott has a walk-rate of 11.0%. That ranks third among Phillies with at least 80 plate appearances in that span. Only Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Schwarber have worked a higher walk-rate.

Looking at Stott's Savant page is like looking into a blueberry bush. There are a lot of blue circles, but one thing stands out. His whiff% and chase-rate are among the highest in the league.

Though Stott is struggling to make clean contact when he does swing, he is at the very least making contact. That's the trait prospect tend to struggle with most when facing big league pitching for the first time.

It also provides a level of confidence that Stott can evolve to become a more well-rounded hitter. His recent performance has shown that it is something he can become, because Stott didn't start the season this way.

From Opening Day through the end of May, Stott walked just five times in 78 plate appearances, a 6.4% walk-rate. That stat that looked especially unflattering when combined with his measly .123 batting average.

But as the calendar turned to June, Stott started to slug with authority. He slashed .333/.400/.694 with four home runs from June 1-12. Most importantly he did that all without the help of extreme BABIP luck, his total for that time frame was .308.

All of a sudden, Stott looked like the player the Phillies had hoped for when they selected him to the Opening Day roster. After working with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long to widen his stance and improve his two-strike approach, Stott began making better contact.

But again, he began to struggle, slashing .156/.244/.159 since his hot streak ended on June 12. Stott is still failing to get good BABIP luck, but he has continued to walk, drawing nine free passes since June 13.

Unfortunately, the Phillies don't have much choice but to keep Stott in the lineup. With Segura out and the defensive catastrophe of Alec Bohm and Didi Gregorius on the left side of the infield, Stott has to play second base. Because of this, Stott has not lacked playing time.

Learning at the major league level is difficult for any player, whether it's a prospect learning to deal with big league breaking balls or a veteran slugger working through a slump. Stott's already proven he can adapt before, and he'll get the chance to adapt again. There's nothing to say he can't regain that form.