Name: Bryson Stott
Position: 2B
Born: October 6, 1997
Country: US
Bats/Throws: L/R
Height/Weight: 6’3″ 200lbs
How Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round of the 2019 Draft by the Phillies (#14 Overall)
Signed: June 27, 2019
Bonus: $3,900,000
Options Remaining: 2
Rule 5 Eligible: 2022
MiLB Free Agency: 2025
Stats
Prospect Rankings
Role: First Division Regular
Risk: Medium – It is less that Stott is medium risk to be a major league contributor, but more that Stott’s lack of a real plus tool means he is going to need almost everything to go right to be an impactful player and not merely a good one. Stott may not be a long term shortstop, but he can play it now and would be a plus defender at second if he has to move there.
Summary: It is rare that college performers with a chance to stay at shortstop slip into the teens in the draft, but that is what happened to Stott in the 2019 Draft as a few teams reached for money savers. He hit fine in his pro debut, but struggled at both the alt site in 2020 and spring training in 2021. The Phillies sent him to Jersey Shore, which he quickly overmatched, earning a promotion to AA. He had a down stretch in July before rallying through August and carrying it over to his two weeks in AAA. He had a bit of a national breakout in the Arizona Fall League, where he and Logan O’Hoppe quite literally walked all over their competition. At the plate, Stott has cleaned up his swing, but it is not particularly fast or loose. He has a good feel for contact, driven by a great feel for the strike zone and approach at the plate. He is very comfortable working long counts and hitting with two strikes. Sometimes the contact forward approach can hinder his ability to tap into his raw power, which is now more all fields than the pull power he showed in college. Due to his slower bat speed, he is vulnerable to high velocity fastballs, especially up in the strike zone. He does recognize offspeed pitches well, and is going to have to survive some of the swing related holes by not chasing. However, he is likely to be a player that is going to get beat by good pitchers executing their pitches, which puts some ceiling on his upside. There has been a lot of debate about Stott’s defensive position. He has improved at shortstop, but he does lack the range and arm strength to be an impact defender there. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and is likely long term to be a player who can play shortstop if needed, but is ideally a plus defensive second baseman who gives a team some positional flexibility and resiliency. There is a chance that if Stott put it together enough, he could make an all-star team in years when he is blessed by the BABIP gods, but his collection of average tools means he is probably hitting in the 6th or 7th spot as the middle infielder for a team with championship aspirations. While he may lack huge upside, Stott has very high major league probability at a position of immediate and long term major league need.
2022 Outlook: The Phillies have said that Stott will get a chance to compete for the opening day shortstop job, but it feels like he is not the favorite right now for it. More likely he goes to AAA to open the year, coming up as soon as there is an injury or ineffective player on the major league infield.
Francisco Morales and Bryson Stott are very different prospects. Morales is a former big bonus international signing, and Stott is a first round pick and college performer. Morales’ profile starts with at least two at least plus tools in his fastball and slider, but some below average attributes (namely changeup and command). Stott might have no plus tools, but also nothing below average. Both might end up at a position below their ceiling, with Morales as a fire breathing reliever and Stott playing another position like second base.
Between the two, Morales’ slider is a standout tool. It is a pitch he has an incredible feel for the manipulation of it, and it gives him the chance to be special. His changeup is still a work in progress (it is a firm upper 80s pitch) and at this point it is fair to wonder if it will ever come around. If he can stick in a rotation, Morales could be a mid rotation starter.
Stott’s throwing motion gives many pause about his ability to play shortstop. If he does have to move off the position, second base is the most logical landing and the Phillies have already started getting him and Luis Garcia reps at second and short to have both be ready for whichever opportunity comes for them.
Role: Solid Regular
Risk: High – Stott has a couple of knocks against him, particularly the swing and miss at the plate and his ability to stick at shortstop. However, Stott has good tools across the board to be a contributor of some sort.
Summary: For much of the draft process, Bryson Stott was viewed as a top 10 pick, but on draft day he started to fall a bit, as teams with extra picks swung deals and a couple high upside high school bats rose. Part of the reason Stott fell in the draft is he lacks not only an elite tool, but also a plus one. However, Stott does not have a tool that is below average. He is not the greatest defender at short. His range is fine and his fielding is good, but his arm just has average strength and his throwing motion is a bit funky. It is likely that, if he has to move off of shortstop as an everyday position, he could easily handle second or third base. For now, there is no need to force that issue, and if he can stick at the position it helps his overall profile. At the plate, Stott has some swing and miss because his swing has some upper cut to it. However, he has a good approach at the plate and makes good contact. He has above average raw power, which likely plays more average, and he is an above average runner as well. The collection of tools, if he can play a solid shortstop, has a chance to make him a first division regular in aggregate. It is highly likely some part of his skill set fails to develop to its peak, making him merely a solid regular that can be plugged in at three different infield positions depending on team need. He is not as polished as some other college bats, but he should move fairly quickly and could contribute to the Phillies by mid 2021.
2020 Outlook: Outside of Bohm, the Phillies have started their high pick college draftees in Clearwater, and Stott had a good enough year in Williamsport to not create concerns. If he follows the path of others, he will be in Reading by early July.
Role: First Division Regular
Risk: Medium – It is less that Stott is medium risk to be a major league contributor, but more that Stott’s lack of a real plus tool means he is going to need almost everything to go right to be an impactful player and not merely a good one. Stott may not be a long term shortstop, but he can play it now and would be a plus defender at second if he has to move there.
Summary: It is rare that college performers with a chance to stay at shortstop slip into the teens in the draft, but that is what happened to Stott in the 2019 Draft as a few teams reached for money savers. He hit fine in his pro debut, but struggled at both the alt site in 2020 and spring training in 2021. The Phillies sent him to Jersey Shore, which he quickly overmatched, earning a promotion to AA. He had a down stretch in July before rallying through August and carrying it over to his two weeks in AAA. He had a bit of a national breakout in the Arizona Fall League, where he and Logan O’Hoppe quite literally walked all over their competition. At the plate, Stott has cleaned up his swing, but it is not particularly fast or loose. He has a good feel for contact, driven by a great feel for the strike zone and approach at the plate. He is very comfortable working long counts and hitting with two strikes. Sometimes the contact forward approach can hinder his ability to tap into his raw power, which is now more all fields than the pull power he showed in college. Due to his slower bat speed, he is vulnerable to high velocity fastballs, especially up in the strike zone. He does recognize offspeed pitches well, and is going to have to survive some of the swing related holes by not chasing. However, he is likely to be a player that is going to get beat by good pitchers executing their pitches, which puts some ceiling on his upside. There has been a lot of debate about Stott’s defensive position. He has improved at shortstop, but he does lack the range and arm strength to be an impact defender there. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and is likely long term to be a player who can play shortstop if needed, but is ideally a plus defensive second baseman who gives a team some positional flexibility and resiliency. There is a chance that if Stott put it together enough, he could make an all-star team in years when he is blessed by the BABIP gods, but his collection of average tools means he is probably hitting in the 6th or 7th spot as the middle infielder for a team with championship aspirations. While he may lack huge upside, Stott has very high major league probability at a position of immediate and long term major league need.
2022 Outlook: The Phillies have said that Stott will get a chance to compete for the opening day shortstop job, but it feels like he is not the favorite right now for it. More likely he goes to AAA to open the year, coming up as soon as there is an injury or ineffective player on the major league infield.
Francisco Morales and Bryson Stott are very different prospects. Morales is a former big bonus international signing, and Stott is a first round pick and college performer. Morales’ profile starts with at least two at least plus tools in his fastball and slider, but some below average attributes (namely changeup and command). Stott might have no plus tools, but also nothing below average. Both might end up at a position below their ceiling, with Morales as a fire breathing reliever and Stott playing another position like second base.
Between the two, Morales’ slider is a standout tool. It is a pitch he has an incredible feel for the manipulation of it, and it gives him the chance to be special. His changeup is still a work in progress (it is a firm upper 80s pitch) and at this point it is fair to wonder if it will ever come around. If he can stick in a rotation, Morales could be a mid rotation starter.
Stott’s throwing motion gives many pause about his ability to play shortstop. If he does have to move off the position, second base is the most logical landing and the Phillies have already started getting him and Luis Garcia reps at second and short to have both be ready for whichever opportunity comes for them.
Role: Solid Regular
Risk: High – Stott has a couple of knocks against him, particularly the swing and miss at the plate and his ability to stick at shortstop. However, Stott has good tools across the board to be a contributor of some sort.
Summary: For much of the draft process, Bryson Stott was viewed as a top 10 pick, but on draft day he started to fall a bit, as teams with extra picks swung deals and a couple high upside high school bats rose. Part of the reason Stott fell in the draft is he lacks not only an elite tool, but also a plus one. However, Stott does not have a tool that is below average. He is not the greatest defender at short. His range is fine and his fielding is good, but his arm just has average strength and his throwing motion is a bit funky. It is likely that, if he has to move off of shortstop as an everyday position, he could easily handle second or third base. For now, there is no need to force that issue, and if he can stick at the position it helps his overall profile. At the plate, Stott has some swing and miss because his swing has some upper cut to it. However, he has a good approach at the plate and makes good contact. He has above average raw power, which likely plays more average, and he is an above average runner as well. The collection of tools, if he can play a solid shortstop, has a chance to make him a first division regular in aggregate. It is highly likely some part of his skill set fails to develop to its peak, making him merely a solid regular that can be plugged in at three different infield positions depending on team need. He is not as polished as some other college bats, but he should move fairly quickly and could contribute to the Phillies by mid 2021.
2020 Outlook: Outside of Bohm, the Phillies have started their high pick college draftees in Clearwater, and Stott had a good enough year in Williamsport to not create concerns. If he follows the path of others, he will be in Reading by early July.