I wrote earlier today about the logic of the MLB draft and how someone was going to fall to the Phillies. The answer was nearly everyone with the Phillies having a choice between RHP Jackson Rutledge, OF Corbin Carroll, LHP Zack Thompson, and their eventual pick SS Bryson Stott. Stott is a junior out of UNLV. After a solid freshman season he hit .365/.442/.556 and .356/.486/.599 the past two seasons. Take the numbers with a grain of salt given environment and conference, but they are still very good.
Stott was well regarded among the public rankings with MLB Pipeline having him at 9, Baseball America at 10, Fangraphs at 11, and Perfect Game at 5. He fell a bit as teams reached for some players, possibly out of love or desire to save money. Stott likely signs for slot because of this, which is fine for the Phillies who get a guy expected to be gone off the board, and don’t have the 2nd round pick to float that money to.
Stott is a bit divisive, but most agree he is a 5 tool infielder. He has a good approach, but Fangraphs notes some contact question, Pipeline worries about the power, and there is a general worry about whether his arm action and size works at shortstop. Generally it seems like the profile is adequate glove shortstop with plus speed, solid power, good contact, and good approach. He probably is never a star, but there is a decent amount of upside here. If he can’t stick at shortstop or the Phillies have a better defender there, he profiles just fine at third base.
During the years of the Phillies taking high school athletes who flamed out, this is the kind of pick fans dreamed of (now the Phillies weren’t pick #14 at the time). In many ways there is some similarity to Adam Haseley as a college performer stuck between a premium and less premium defensive position. However, Stott came at pick #14 and not #7, making there a little less pressure on the bat to perform. He should move relatively quickly and a good start to his pro could see him end the season in Lakewood. Overall, not the highest upside of picks, but an extremely solid and exciting pick.
Although I prefer Kirby or Rutledge, this is a no brainer pick for Almaraz. I good insurance pick that can develop into a valuable future trade asset or insurance at 3B/SS if Bohm or Garcia are traded for an arm.