The Philadelphia Phillies Finally Found Success With a First-Round Draft Pick

After years of MLB draft busts, the Philadelphia Phillies look to have finally found success with first-round pick Bryson Stott.

Author:
Andy Jasner
Dec 27, 2022 5:00 PM EST

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Philadelphia Phillies

Top prospects don’t always materialize.

Cornelius Randolph (2015), Mickey Moniak (’16) and Adam Haseley (’17) were back-to-back-to-back busts in the first round.

Cole Hamels in ’02 clearly worked out as he became a World Series Most Valuable Player six years later.

Greg Golson (’04), Joe Savery (’07) and Jesse Biddle (’10) have all been forgotten.

The draft is an inexact science.

In ’19, the Philadelphia Phillies selected Bryson Stott from UNLV with the No. 19 overall pick. He looked like a winner from the beginning and that has proven to be true.

Patience must be exuded with young players and that was evident last season as Stott struggled through a 6-for-66 slump. The Phillies’ patience was rewarded as Stott developed into an everyday reliable player.

In the deep postseason run, Stott came up with some clutch hits and was a steady presence at shortstop. He hardly looked like a young player.

While Stott is far from a complete player, this draft pick already seems like a winner.

And there’s no reason to believe that Stott won’t continue to improve.

Stott came along so quickly that it allowed the Phillies to designate Didi Gregorius for assignment in the beginning of August. Stott is likely to move to second base with Trea Turner coming in as the starting shortstop.

Stott finished the regular season with a respectable .234 average to go along with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. In the playoffs under the spotlight, Stott never seemed fazed.

The moment was not too big.

That was obvious to anyone watching.

Go back to Stott’s nine-pitch at-bat against Spencer Strider in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. Stott never backed down and was hardly intimidated.

The result was the biggest double of his life.

“I mean, we know he has an electric fastball and it’s hard to get to the top of the ball with how much he’s out there when he throws it,” Stott said of Strider after Game 3. “He threw me a few sliders last time so I kind of knew the shape of it. When he threw it down, I was able to get to it.”

Stott gets it.

While there are eons to go before a final determination can be made about Stott’s career, it sure seems as if All-Star Games are in his future.

This draft pick looks like a winner.