When we begin planning for the offseason here at TGP, I will create a list of all the players that have put on the red pinstripes and we will review them. Some players get jumped on right away because our writers have thoughts about them and want to share them in written form.
Bryson Stott was one of those for me. I had thoughts about him, thoughts that weren’t exactly the kindest thoughts around. It could be the curse of the first round pick not receiving MVP votes by now, but Stott has always left
me feeling like there needed to be more. Yet reflecting on those thoughts…maybe negativity isn’t the way to go. Complete positivity isn’t the right approach, but completely negative?
2025 stats
147 G, 560 PA, 13 HR, 66 RBI, 24 SB, 66 R, 16.3 K%, 9.6 BB%, 100 wRC+, 3.1 fWAR
What went right
If you’ve ever had a child, you know the initial hours after childbirth are some of the most exhausting hours you will ever experience. Even if you are not the mother giving birth, as the father, you have to watch the whole process play out. The beginning of that newborn’s life require constant attention, leading to a tiredness that, if you have never experienced it, cannot be explained.
Imagine playing a baseball game with that kind of exhaustion.
Why do I point this out? Well, it was about that time (July 23, the day his son was born) that Stott really started to take off at the plate. From that date to the end of the regular season, Stott hit .307/.378/.506 with seven of his thirteen home runs hit in this frame as well. It’s also around that time when Stott started instituting a change in his stance that would allow him to unlock his offensive potential.
It truly did change his season.
What went wrong
So, those 202 plate appearances after the birth of his son/adjustment to his stance were great, but what about the previous 358? In those, Stott hit .228/.301/.325. We can’t just forget that they happened, nor can we forget that he hit to the tune of an 87 wRC+ in 2024. He has shown that he can be a sub replacement level player with his bat.
In the field, Stott is as good as it gets, but at the plate, he is simply average. When looking at places to upgrade, second base for the Phillies is one where they can reasonably look at it and think that better production can be had.
And yet…
The future with the Phillies
…he should probably get an extension with the team this offseason.
One of the things the Phillies have struggled with is developing position players in the minor leagues and having them produce at the big league level. This is not a secret. Stott is one of the success stories of that player development program. While he was a first round pick, he has become one of the top defenders in the game at the keystone and has been an average bat at the plate. That kind of player has value. It’s one that the team can use to build around. Not as a foundational piece, mind you, but one of those decorative columns that holds up a porch.
He’s reaching the point where he’s getting bit more expensive thanks to his march through the arbitration system (he’s projected to make $5.8 million in 2026). Maybe the Phillies should consider some kind of extension that buys out his remaining arbitration years and a free agent season or two. By that point, maybe a prospect like Aidan Miller or Aroon Escobar is ready to join the team and take over for Stott.
Will they do that? Maybe, maybe not. So long as the expectations are set to the appropriate level with Stott, he should still be an important part of the lineup for 2026.
