The Philadelphia Phillies young star is on the verge of becoming a special player for the franchise as he continues his meteoric rise in a star studded lineup.
It’s easy to criticize the Philadelphia Phillies for a number of first round draft busts over the years.
There was Jeff Jackson, No. 4 overall, in 1989.
There was Brad Brink, No. 7 overall, in 1986.
There was Gavin Floyd, No. 4 overall, in 2001.
There was Chad McConnell, No. 13 overall, in 1992.
Oh, there have been a plethora of others as well. Their history with first round picks has been spotty at best.
Then there’s Bryson Stott.
If we’re going to be critical of the misses, we have to be upbeat and positive with a selection like Stott, the No. 14 overall pick in 2019 from UNLV.
John Kruk, one of the Phillies’ analysts on NBC Sports Philadelphia, has repeatedly said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Stott wins a batting title one day.
The former shortstop, who has since moved to second base this season, is developing into an All-Star caliber player both offensively and defensively. When he’s in a bit of a slump, he never seems to be fazed or rattled. The calmness of the 25-year-old is truly amazing.
After a slow start last season, he wound up hitting .234 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. He continued to be productive in the postseason as Philadelphia came within two victories of a World Series title.
This season, Stott has hovered around .300 or near it. There have been too many at-bats to count when he kept fouling off pitches and then stroked a single on the 10th or 11th pitch.
Former Major League Baseball executive Jim Bowden recently wrote this in The Athletic:
“In a lineup flooded with star power, Bryson Stott has been the Phillies' most reliable bat all season long.
“When they were cold, he was hitting. When they were hot, he was hitting. Orchestrating comebacks or piling on? There he was hitting, or at the very least, working pitch-consuming plate battles that make his at-bats absolute nightmares for opposing pitchers.
“And this is all in only his second year as a full-time major leaguer.
“It's impressive stuff from the 24-year old and former first-round pick, and indispensable – though maybe under the radar – production for a team in postseason contention.”
Can’t argue with any of it.
Stott is setting himself up to be a consistent All-Star year in and year out.
He’s definitely mature beyond his years.
And Stott will almost certainly go down as one of the franchise’s best first round picks.
