Is Bryson Stott the next great Phillies shortstop? Bryce Harper thinks so
By David Esser
With everyone focused on the looming 2021 MLB season, Bryce Harper took a moment during his media session Thursday morning to talk about Phillies prospect Bryson Stott. Currently the organization’s top offensive player in the minor leagues, Harper offered some high praise for the 23 year old shortstop:
Bryce Harper says that Bryson Stott is a mix of J.J. Hardy and Brandon Crawford. Even mixed in a Garrett Anderson offensive comp. For those of you scoring at home, that'll play.
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) February 25, 2021
Stott’s name is one that has been frequently mentioned when discussing the Phillies longterm playoff hopes, as he’s the type of player who many believe is destined to put up big numbers once he’s in the majors. Similar to Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard last season, Stott’s debut is one that a good number of fans are anxiously awaiting.
The 14th overall pick back in 2019, Stott has done nothing but impress upon entering the minor league system. He slashed .274/.370/.446 across 44 games with Williamsport, and then posted a mind-boggling 2.061 OPS across four brief games in the Gulf Coast League.
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2020 obviously didn’t have any minor league action due to the pandemic, but one can only assume that he made good progress down at the Phillies alternate training site based on the way teammates and coaches continue to talk about him.
This isn’t the first time Harper has expressed a significant level of confidence in Stott as a future MLB player. In fact, the two were even spotted working out together a handful of times over the offseason. This could be due to the supreme levels of faith that Harper has in Stott moving forward, or it could be due to the simple fact that they both live in Las Vegas. Either way, getting such a glowing recommendation from the franchise’s $330 million superstar has to be a pretty sweet feeling for Stott.
When it comes to Stott’s overall future with the Phillies, it becomes a tad murky.
Do the Phillies have a future star in SS Bryson Stott?
The team just inked Didi Gregorius to a two-year contract worth $28 million, and Jean Segura is still on the books for another two years as well. Barring some sort of trade next offseason, there’s not really a spot for Stott to land himself a starting gig anytime soon.
This reality – combined with the hiring of Dave Dombrowski – have led some to believe that Stott could be a potential trade piece later down the road. Guys like Bohm, Howard, and likely Mick Abel are all presumably off limits, making Stott the team’s biggest asset. Giving up on a prospect so early into his career definitely stings, but Dombrowski and the Phillies appear to very much be in a “win-now” type of mindset.
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Either way, hearing Harper speak so glowingly of Stott is a good sign. The Phillies have struggled to groom elite prospects over the last couple of seasons, so the work that they’ve done in terms of scouting/developing Stott appears to be a step in the right direction. Whether he ends up as Philadelphia’s version of J.J. Hardy/Brandon Crawford/Garrett Anderson, only time will tell.