Sep 5, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott (5) throws to first base to retire Miami Marlins left fielder Kyle Stowers (not pictured) during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
About a month ago, when the Phillies were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season and everyone wanted to burn the boats rather than watch another Philadelphia sports team endure an epic collapse at the back end of a season, there was a lot of finger-pointing from the punditry class.
How does a team that got off to such a historic start have such a colossal meltdown?
Several fingers were aimed at the Phillies regular second baseman. Bryson Stott was a burgeoning hero a season ago. He was hitting .280 for the season. He was being proclaimed the team's future leadoff hitter. He was on the verge of becoming a gold glove second baseman. He had the coolest walkup song that frequently got sold out Citizens Bank Park singing along with each stroll to the plate. And of course, he was part of the lovable "Day Care" pranksters who douse their teammates with water, chewing gum and other dugout snacks during postgame interviews on live TV.
But progression and the path to sustained success is not linear. And Stott learned that the hard way this season.
I one thing the Phillies wanted him to do more in 2024 was to work pitchers - and not just by fouling off a bunch of pitches like he did in 2023. As dastardly as he seemed to opposing hurlers for his propensity to stay alive in at bats and then come through and deliver a hit with two strikes, the reality was Stott was getting himself behind in too many counts. Eventually, that success would wear off.
Case in point, here is Stott's slash line with two strikes in 2023 compared to 2024:
2023: .237/.289/.332; .621 OPS
2024: .197/.269/.269; .538 OPS
It's a precipitous drop-off. Keep in mind, a .237 batting average with two strikes is very good. Consider the Major League average with two strikes in 2023 was .172/.249/.273 for an OPS of .522 and you can see just how much better than average Stott was in those spots.
The problem was, he was in them too often. And he wasn't taking enough balls. He was swing at pitches out of the zone, pitting him into these more precarious spots in an at bat. So, the Phillies preached patience. Less chase. The rationale was that If Stott can hit .280 despite being behind in the count a lot, imagine what he could do if he attacked pitches in the zone al while laying off balls and working more walks?
That's how he'd grow into that top of the order bat.
So, he started being more patient, and the walk rate definitely improved. Stott has already walked 49 times this season. It's a career-high and 10 more than 2023 in 140 fewer plate appearances. But baseball is a sport of constant adjustments, and so once teams realized Stott was starting to be more selective, they started attacking him differently. Now, instead of getting him to chase pitches just off the zone, they would take a free first pitch strike to get ahead, knowing he wasn't swinging as frequently, and thank you very much.
Stott walked 40 times before the All-Star break. He's walked just nine times since.
And the stretch from right after the All Star-break through Aug. 13 was the peak of Stott's frustration.
Knowing pitchers were kind of using his approach against him, Stott tried to hit his way out of it, started chasing more than he had been, and his timing and mechanics at the plate got out of whack.
In the first 19 games he played after the All-Star break, he was 14-for-67 (.209). He walked just one time.
It got to the point where Stott was platooning with Edmundo Sosa. Something no one expected from a guy who had shown a season earlier that he could hit lefties well. But now, something was really amiss.
So, Stott got back to the basics.
Remember when I said that the Phillies getting insurance runs was good, but getting them via the HR was better?
Pepperidge Farm remembered…
& so did Bryson Stott. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/6LaTIFqK6l
No longer was he going to sit there and let pitchers get ahead of him with ease. Sure, pitchers win out more often than batters, but it's different when you give away at bats without moving the bat off your shoulders before it's too late.
So, Stott decided to meld the two approaches together. Be the aggressive hitter he was a season ago, but only on pitches in the zone. Hit the ball where it's pitched - meaning use the whole field - and still limit the chase and try to take balls only.
It's working.
In his last 20 games, Stott is 20-for-66 (.303). He has a .394 OPB thanks to eight walks. And he's not chasing a lot, hving struck out just 14 times in those 20 games. Oh, and he's making solid contact again,, with a slugging percentage of .500 on the nose in those 20 games, for an OPS of .894.
BRYSON BABY! With a Stott Shot & a single, Stott plates the first 2 Phillies runs. Clemens 2B knocks in Marsh & Realmuto & then scores on wild pitch. Ranger improves over 5 scoreless, fields well. Strahm gets the save. Phillies win 5 in a row! #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/V994p8t8rx
"I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot right now," Stott told reporters after the Phillies 5-2 win in Miami on Thursday - a game in which Stott had two more hits, including a homer, and drove in two runs. "To me, it's less about feeling and more about where the ball's going. If I'm using the whole field, hitting line drives to left, that's when I'm at my best."
His RBI single was a line drive to left, but his home run was a moon shot into the upper deck in right field.
"His at bats lately have been really good," said manager Rob Thomson. "He's really grinding at bats and every once in a while, he'll get out in front and hit one to right. It's nice to see him hit the ball out of the ballpark."
Every-once-in-a-while has been three times in the last 66 at bats (4.6% rate). Before this stretch of games, he had seven homers in 370 at bats (1.9%).
It's improving. And so is every game for Stott - and that's a huge boon for the Phillies.
