The Bryson-Stott-leadoff-hitter experiment appears to have fizzled out. 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 May (and June) happened. Stott slipped into a terminal 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 his last 854 plate appearances while, it should be noted, playing a 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 closer to 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 trade partner 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 but here’s what really makes him enticing: He’s a low-cost option (making $3.2 million this season before his upcoming arbitration years) 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 Kemp 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 solid 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.”
Of late, Stott is giving Philly fans some hope that his skid is nearing an end, getting four hits in his last eight at-bats, including his first home run since May 17. “My swing’s finally coming out again,” he said. “The results haven’t been there, and I know that, but all you can do is hit the ball on the barrel and hope for good things after that… Just keep taking good swings, and good things should happen.”
However, the pressure will be 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 radical and move Stott before the deadline. And if the Phillies trade Stott, his fans will never forget this goosebump moment he gave them:
