Who's The Real Bryson Stott And Could The Phillies End Up Trading Him?
The Bryson-Stott-leadoff-hitter experiment appears to be dunzo. And it's a bit of a surprise considering how it began. When the Phillies slotted Stott into the leadoff spot on April 11, it looked like they found their guy to bump previous leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber to cleanup to protect Bryce Harper. From his first day leading off to April 30, Stott batted .306 with an .832 OPS.
But then Stott slipped into a protracted slump, batting .197 since May 1 with an unsightly .284 slug over that span. And by June 9, Stott's leadoff role ended indefinitely. Over the past 10 games, he's batted near the bottom of the order, mostly in the No. 7 spot.
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryson Stott has struggled at the plate this season. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Beyond the whole leadoff thing, the Phillies must reassess what they got in Stott, who looked like a bedrock piece after batting .280 with 15 home runs and 31 stolen bases in his first full MLB year in 2023. It was believed that an elbow injury hindered his 2024 season. He said his elbow felt great this spring but the results have been the same, if not worse. He has slashed .244/.313/.352 over 854 plate appearances while playing Gold-Glove-caliber second-base.
So will the real Bryson Stott please step forward? Is he the dynamic 2023 guy? Or the inconsistent slap-hitter over the past 800-plus plate appearances? Yeah, probably the latter, considering the sample size.
Now, let's pose the difficult question — difficult because Stott is so popular in Philly: Could the Phils include him in a trade-deadline deal to obtain a big bopper or lights-out closer?
Stott is a commodity that could lure a buyer who wants to dump salary and/or get younger. At 27 years, Stott is still young enough that a team could invest in his future potential but here's what really makes him enticing: He's a low-cost option (making $3.2 million this season before arbitration) and remains under team control until after the 2027 season.
It's a scenario — to dangle Stott as trade bait — that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski could/should consider, if he hasn't already.
Hypothetically, let's say Philadelphia trades Stott as part of a deal to get their impact bat — centerfielder Byron Buxton, anybody? — then who would play second? Maybe rookie Otto Kemp, whose bat looks capable and has played 72 games at second in the minors, but he also has looked a little awkward in the field. Or maybe the team gives super-sub Edmundo Sosa a full-time gig but, in reality, Sosa's greatest value lies in his versatility.
Inquirer baseball scribe David Murphy makes a great point that shipping out Stott for a more dangerous hitter may not be worth 'sacrificing his defense and shaking up the clubhouse to that degree.'
However, the pressure is on Dombrowski to find the magical ingredient that gets this team back to the World Series for one more shot at a title, so it wouldn't be inconceivable if Dombrowski were to do something drastic and move Stott before the deadline. And if he leaves, Philly fans will never forget this incredible moment that he gave them:
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