Is Bryson Stott the prospect to get the Phillies over the hump?
By Jake Mintz
FOX Sports MLB Writer
The Phillies need reinforcements. That much is clear.
In the past two weeks, the club with the second-longest postseason drought in baseball spent a whopping $180 million on free-agent hitters Nicholas Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber to jump-start the lineup. That level of investment from ownership is undoubtedly a good sign, but it’s also an indication that the organization’s inability to develop homegrown talent — particularly among position players — has been a huge impediment in crawling out of what has become a decade-long rebuild.
The club’s recent run of mediocrity is perhaps best explained by its fruitless draft record during what should have been the prime years of the rebuild.
From 2015 to '18 — years the team held a draft pick inside the top 10 — the Phillies handed out eight bonuses of at least $1 million through the draft. Those eight players have combined to produce a total of 0.3 Baseball Reference WAR.
For a few of those players, the jury is still out. Alec Bohm, for instance, was magnificent in the shortened 2020 season before his abysmal 2021 and could still turn into an every-day third baseman. Spencer Howard was flipped to Texas at the deadline last season for starter Kyle Gibson. Adam Haseley was traded to the White Sox on Tuesday for a pitching prospect.
As a whole, these top picks have failed to succeed thus far at the big-league level. Whether that’s a scouting problem or a player development problem, the Phillies' farm system has suffered as a result, ranking in the bottom 10 of system rankings by most major publications.
That has made it much more difficult for the front office to a) make trades for established reinforcements and b) revitalize the roster with prospects. Not since Rhys Hoskins debuted at the end of 2017 and set the league ablaze with a wildfire of home runs has a Phillies rookie established himself as an every-day big leaguer.
That’s where Bryson Stott comes in.
Stott, a left-handed-hitting shortstop ranked by most publications as the Phillies' top prospect, is looking to buck the recent trend of Philadelphia's homegrown futility, even if he won’t state it so plainly. The 24-year-old was understandably diplomatic when asked about the team’s inability to consistently replenish its roster with homegrown talent and whether he could be the guy to get the franchise over the hump.
"I am my own person," Stott told FOX Sports last week after a spring training game in Clearwater, Florida. "So stuff that other people may or may not have done, obviously you hear about it, but that doesn’t impact the way I do things."
Last year, the way Stott "did things" was a crisp .299/.390/.486 slash line across three levels of minor-league ball. He smashed 16 home runs, ascended all the way to Triple-A, appeared in the Futures Game and quieted some industry concerns about his ability to stick at shortstop.
The Las Vegas native capped his sensational season with a loud performance in the prospect-rich Arizona Fall League that earned him a nod to the Fall League All-Star Game. That strong campaign heightened expectations about his timetable, and Stott now finds himself on the cusp of the bigs as one of the more compelling storylines at Phillies spring training.
"[This spring training] is obviously a different situation now than the previous two, but I feel a lot more comfortable," he said. "In 2020, I was almost scared to swing in the games, and I don’t even wanna talk about how things went last year in spring training. Not pretty at all. I just feel a lot more comfortable and a lot more ready. It’s great, though. Last year I just dumped my backpack on the ground and tried to stay out of everyone's way. Now I have a locker."
A guy who has the words "Be You" embroidered on his glove, Stott is self-aware beyond his years. He’s a humble but assured kid who knows who he is and where he came from. A tattoo of his hometown's iconic "Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas" sign sits atop his left shoulder. Stott floats around the clubhouse with the confidence of a veteran, his flowing blond hair held back by a multicolored Phillies headband.
It certainly hasn’t hurt that Stott has grown up around the game with Bryce Harper as his personal mentor. Both are proud Las Vegans, and Stott has been close family friends with Harper since childhood. Stott’s mom was even Bryce’s older sister’s high school cheerleading coach. Since Stott joined the organization as a first-round pick in 2019, he has lived with the 2021 National League MVP every spring training.
That built-in support system has made integrating into the Phillies' big-league clubhouse incredibly easy for Stott. "Obviously, knowing Bryce, the big dog in the clubhouse, helps a ton," he said.
And while It’s unlikely that Stott breaks camp with the big-league club, chances are he’ll be called upon to make his debut at some point this season.
Stott has no illusions about the fact that he still has work to do. "Still wearing [No.] 73," he joked. "I’ve got the offensive lineman number."
Still, Stott is well aware that his moment is right around the corner, acknowledging that his expectation is to play in the big leagues at some point in 2022.
The Phillies' projected infield right now has Hoskins at first, Jean Segura at second, veteran Didi Gregorius at short and Bohm at third, looking to rebound from his brutal 2021. There were some rumors bubbling around Clearwater that if Stott were to break through and force a callup, Gregorius could see some time at third base to accommodate the youngster.
Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but that it’s even being discussed speaks volumes about Stott’s talent.
This Phillies team has been starving for a home-grown spark to lift it out of mediocrity and into the postseason for the first time since 2012, and Stott might be just the guy for the job.
Jake Mintz is the louder half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He’s an Orioles fan living in New York City, and thus, he leads a lonely existence most Octobers. If he’s not watching baseball, he’s almost certainly riding his bike. You can follow him on Twitter @Jake_Mintz.