Bryson Stott - Prospects to Know for 2022

In 2019, the Philadelphia Phillies made UNLV shortstop Bryson Stott their first-round selection in the MLB draft. Stott recently turned 24-years-old, and Philly GM Dave Dombrowski has gone on the record that the team expects him to compete for the starting shortstop job in spring training this year.

There's a lot to like in Stott's game. He's a career .298 hitter through 160 professional games. He's shown flashes of power, speed, and defense that could lead him to be an MLB-level shortstop. Stott's future Phillies' teammate Bryce Harper likened his game to a mix of Brandon Crawford, J.J. Hardy, and Garret Anderson.

In this article, I will look at Bryson Stott's tools and performance to summarize what I expect his future MLB role will become. Also, I will take a peek at his future fantasy potential, both in 2022 and beyond.

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Fantasy Outlook

ETA: Early 2022
Expected performance (first 3 full seasons): Tier 4 ($10+)
Ceiling potential: Tier 3 ($20+)

Hit

Bryson Stott should be a boon for managers that play in batting average leagues. As mentioned above, he is a career .298 hitter through 160 professional games. In fact, if you go back even further than that, Stott's worst batting average at any location since arriving on campus at UNLV was a .275 batting average over 12 games in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2018.

I am not sure what to make of his setup at the plate that he's displayed in the AFL. He starts relatively upright in what I've colloquially called the 'lazy basketball stance'. Except that, his feet are narrow, barely shoulder-width apart. Hands start placed high and close to the ear. He times pitches with a brief step backward, essentially straightening up his stance further. Then he releases with a quick stride and quick hands down to meet the plane of the baseball.

His stance (and especially the back step timing mechanism) has changed since his collegiate and early professional days. The leg kick has decreased, and Stott seems to be focusing on finding power from a tighter initial coil.

Stott shows the hitter's ability to change levels and match up with the plane of the incoming pitch. His hand-to-eye coordination is really good. He can go low and dig out a breaking ball with two strikes on him. He should be a pest to put away even at the highest level, especially against right-handed pitching.

Discipline

Stott has really slowed down at the plate and does a great job of letting the game come to him. He's unafraid to work deeper counts due to his hand-eye coordination and ability to adjust levels to meet the incoming pitch. His pitches per PA numbers were high throughout 2021, and he saw over five pitches per plate appearance in his brief Triple-A cameo.

Between his hit tool, patience, and confidence at the dish, Stott should excel at getting on base. He might have trouble facing MLB pitching with elite put-away stuff, given his propensity to work deep into counts. This will be especially true of lefthanders. But even with that caveat, look for Stott to routinely run plus OBP numbers in the Show, with a ceiling for borderline elite OBPs.

Power

Stott's stance and setup might prevent him from being an elite power source at the highest level. However, he certainly has the raw power to produce above-average in-game pop. Most of his game power is to the pull-side, making him more of a homerun threat against righties. Left-handed pitchers at the MLB level are going to require Stott to make some adjustments.

We won't confuse Stott with a slugger. However, there's enough pop in his bat for plenty of extra-base hits, and he should produce a few seasons of 20 home runs or more. In the event that his swing changes to trade some contact for power, Stott's power upside is probably even greater than that.

Defense

Stott has been his team's primary shortstop at each stop in his career. That includes his time with the Team USA Collegiate National Team in 2018. That should continue when he makes his debut with the Phillies.

Stott really displays smooth fielding actions and a good clock for the defensive game. He's maybe not the rangiest of shortstops, but his ability to consistently complete the routine and slightly difficult plays will make him valuable at the 6. Hands are sure and quick. Rarely do you see the ball rattling around in his glove. His fielding percentage has been consistently above average in his minor league career.

His arm strength should be plenty for shortstop and might even be enough to handle the hot corner in a pinch. It's not a cannon, but it gets the job done. What his arm might lack in raw strength, Stott more than makes up for in arm utility. He's very good at making accurate throws from multiple arm slots. Rarely do you see him make a throw that drags his teammate off the bag. He's also excellent at feeding double-play balls to the second baseman in a great position to make the turn.

There's a risk that Stott slows down with age. That could require a shift over to second base, where he's more than capable of playing at an average level as well. That being said, I don't think it is anything for Phillies fans to worry about during Stott's team control years.

Run

Stott appears to have put on a little weight since turning professional. Speed was never a giant part of his game, but as he matures it will possibly move from average to even below average. He's 6'3" and he doesn't possess real quick-twitch athleticism. So, his first step can lack some explosiveness. The same is true of Stott in the field.

Stott should be good for 5-10 stolen bases a season through his 20s. He also reads the game very well and is a fundamentally sound baserunner. This should allow him to add some value with his legs despite the fact that he doesn't possess burning speed.

Athleticism

Stott is listed at 6'3", 200 lbs. I wouldn't be shocked if he came to spring training a little bigger and also more muscled up than what we saw in the Arizona Fall League this year. Stott hails from Las Vegas and is friends with future Philly teammate and Las Vegas resident Bryce Harper. The two have been known to work out in the offseason together.

Stott doesn't appear particularly flexible in-game situations. But then again, he's able to get down and dig out low breaking balls at the plate. And he handles shortstop with extremely fluid and fundamentally sound motions. Also, his hand-eye coordination is probably a plus to double-plus tool. It positively impacts Stott's hitting game, fielding game, and throwing game.

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