In 2022 MLB Spring Training, Bryson Stott played incredibly well and earned an opening-day starting spot for the Philadelphia Phillies. This came after his 2021 season in which he was able to rise from A+ ball to AAA. However, Stott did not hit the ground running in the MLB; he posted an abysmal stat line through the first two months of the season. In April he slashed .131/.161/.167, resulting in him getting sent to the minors for about two weeks, and in May he slashed .116/.192/.140. In these two months, he combined for a -3 OPS+. This is not even close to MLB caliber, but starting in June he began to turn the corner. From June on Stott has posted a .247/.307/.383 slash line, and a month-by-month OPS+ of 101 in June, 89 in July, 116 in August, then 76 in September. While these numbers may not jump off the page in isolation, the major difference from Stott’s first two months shows his progress. This improvement came through fewer strikeouts and an increase in both the amount of and quality of contact.

Strikeouts

During the first two months of his 2022 season, Bryson Stott was striking out 32% of the time and it was a major factor in his lack of success; However, since the start of June, he has cut that rate in half, with a 16% K Rate in the timeframe. This drastic improvement has been the catalyst for his better second half. His season-long K% is in the 62nd percentile of all MLB players in the 2022 season, meaning that despite his ice-cold start to the season he is still above average in his strikeout prevention. This is an incredibly positive sign for the future because if he continues to avoid K’s as he did in the second half it is a recipe for success.

Contact

Bryson Stott’s player profile relies on him to make consistent and solid contact because if he is constantly whiffing or making weak contact it limits his value as an asset for the Phillies. His two most distinctive traits according to his Statcast metrics are his 91st-percentile sprint speed and his 89th-percentile whiff rate. The speed is important, but his elite avoidance of swinging and missing has led to him putting the ball in play consistently. His contact is admittedly not the strongest, but the consistency in which he makes contact allows him to work counts and have more chances at getting a hit or walk.

Playoffs

Stott’s breakout has been incredibly obvious in this Postseason run for the Phillies. They have been able to make the World Series due in part to Stott’s success at the plate and the consistency with which he has enormous at-bats in big moments. His ability to work counts and not strike out in big moments has been the reason he has performed so well for the Phillies.

This ability can be seen in four of his hits from this postseason run, in Game 3 of the NLDS he worked a long at-bat vs Spencer Strider before doubling off him. In the closeout of the series Game 4, he was in a full count vs Collin McHugh when he singled. In NLCS Game three he hit two doubles off Joe Musgrove, one in a 0-2 count and the other in a 2-2 count, this ability to hit with two strikes in big playoff moments is a perfect microcosm of how Stott has been able to turn his season around, by getting avoiding K’s and making good contact.