Bryson Stott Is Swinging a Hot Bat at the Best Time

When Bryson Stott came up through the Philadelphia Phillies‘ minor league system, expectations were sky-high. The organization and the fans expected him to be an instrumental piece as the franchise finally transitioned into a winning ball club.

Stott came up as a shortstop and was viewed as a potential mainstay at the position throughout the Phillies’ competitive years. His debut came in 2022, when he saw a lot of time at short. Yet, his glove was lacking, and the Phillies ultimately tied the position to Trea Turner for 11 seasons following their 2022 World Series loss.

Stott’s bat also disappointed in 2022. However, the Phillies still expressed their confidence in him. Philadelphia moved on from beloved second baseman Jean Segura that same offseason to ensure Stott significant playing time in the middle infield.

The young infielder found his groove defensively at second base, solidifying himself as a perennial Gold Glove finalist at the position. The Phillies remained hopeful his bat could find the production that once made him their top prospect, and this season, Stott has finally become one of the team’s best players.

Stats updated prior to games on August 13.

Bryson Stott’s Underappreciated Value

Prior to the past few months, a lot of Phillies fans were willing to part ways with Bryson Stott for an upgrade. Fortunately, the new version of Stott is the upgrade the Phillies needed.

At the same time, even when Stott’s bat wasn’t highly productive, he still brought a ton of value to the team. Not only was he a Gold Glove-caliber second baseman, but he brought value with his speed and versatility.

According to Baseball Savant, Stott ranks in the 99th percentile in baserunning value. He is fast, but he doesn’t even rank in the top 100 in sprint speed in the bigs. Still, he’s swiped 23 bags this year without being caught once. Stott’s instincts on the base paths have become one of the most important aspects of his game, and it’s barely talked about.

In four seasons as the Phillies’ full-time second baseman, Stott has logged 32 OAA and 8 DRS. After the trade deadline acquisition of Luis Arraez, the Phillies shifted their Gold Glove-level middle infielder to third base.

Stott has barely played the hot corner professionally, but he has 1 OAA and 1 DRS in just 86 innings there this season. Even out of position, he’s a defensive upgrade over Alec Bohm.

While he did not rise to popularity in the system for his baserunning and glove, both have become key aspects in how much unspoken value he brings to the club.

The Offensive Breakout

Bryson Stott’s career offensive numbers leave a lot to be desired. He has a .711 OPS, 96 wRC+, and 95 OPS+ for his career. Those numbers paint him as a below-average bat that just plays great defense and brings value on the basepaths.

Now, the 28-year-old is in the midst of his best offensive season. Stott had a brutal start to the year. He had a .530 OPS in April. However, he has improved every single month since his dismal start.

Since June 1, Stott has an .849 OPS while getting on base at a .399 clip. In that time, the Phillies’ 2019 first-rounder has a 136 wRC+ with a .359 xwOBA.

Throughout the early portions of his career, Stott had never hit the ball hard. In 2026, he’s in the 46th percentile with a 40.5% hard-hit percentage, by far the best mark of his career.

One of the major reasons for Stott’s breakout is his improved ability to hit fastballs. All of his numbers against the heaters have taken massive steps forward. His xSLG against the pitch type is .451 (previous best was .415), while his xwOBA against fastballs is up to .367 (previous best .330).

That’s largely because Stott is hitting those pitches much harder. His average exit velocity on fastballs has jumped up to 91.1 mph from his previous best of 88.9.

Why Stott’s Bat Is So Important for Philadelphia

It’s hard to imagine how much ground the Phillies would have lost if not for Stott’s offensive breakout. Their lineup is terrible. Philadelphia has the fourth-worst wRC+ in the league, sitting at 92, while striking out at a 22.9% rate.

The Phillies’ best offensive players this season have all been left-handed hitters: Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh, now Luis Arraez. Naturally, the team is awful against left-handed pitching. Fortunately, Stott provides them some relief with his reverse splits. He has hit .318 with an .849 OPS against southpaw pitching.

The Phillies expect Trea Turner to perform at an All-Star level. They expected Alec Bohm to produce as their cleanup hitter. They re-signed J.T. Realmuto to be one of their top righty bats. All of those guys have severely disappointed. Bryson Stott’s breakout has provided them with a boost their lineup would likely be doomed without.

Schwarber and Harper had rough months of July. Since the 1st of that month, Stott has been the Phillies’ best hitter by far with a 147 wRC+ (Turner is the next best at 118). Aside from the Phillies’ three elite starting pitchers, Stott leads the team in fWAR.

Bryson Stott has been the Phillies’ best all-around position player for this entire season. He’s provided them with premier value in the field while being one of baseball’s best on the basepaths. The emergence of his bat has made him a revelation for Philadelphia, and a player they will surely look to extend in the near future.