What Should You Make of Bryson Stott & A Strong Spring Training?
Grapefruit League action (finally) wrapped up Monday, and the Philadelphia Phillies will return north for Opening Day. Bryson Stott stood out as much as any hitter during spring training with…
Grapefruit League action (finally) wrapped up Monday, and the Philadelphia Phillies will return north for Opening Day. Bryson Stott stood out as much as any hitter during spring training with a glowing .366 batting average that included five extra-base hits to skyrocket his OPS to 1.072.
How much should the dynamic spring training performance impact your expectations for the 28-year-old? Let's answer it simply: Not much.
Look Beyond Spring Training
Baseball veterans continually emphasize spring training variables that inflate statistics, especially the quality of pitching. Baseball Reference estimates Stott’s opponent quality at 7.3, between Double-A quality (7) and Triple-A quality (8), and well short of the MLB level (10).
Ricky Bottalico will go much further.
“Do not take anything, anything out of spring training. I played in spring training for many years, and it means jack. It means absolutely nothing.”
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesBottalico’s pitching experience in Clearwater included some questionable home run balls that carried out of a small yard with fluky wind tendencies. He repeatedly reminds Unfiltered listeners that infields bake in the Florida heat, creating a fast track for grounders to sneak through much easier than they would in most major league ballparks.
Stott’s three Grapefruit League home runs came against three pitchers who have combined for 38 regular-season major league appearances. The glorified batting practice won’t exactly catapult him into an MLB All-Star Game appearance at Citizens Bank Park this July.
Look instead at factors that will have more impact on the 2026 season.
Phillies 2026 Season Previews: Second Base Platoon?
Stott has made solid contributions in his four major league seasons. An excellent glove at second base, a solid plate approach toward the bottom of the order, and success on the basepaths have helped boost the Phillies to four consecutive playoff appearances. However, he hasn't developed into a franchise cornerstone that will extend the length of the World Series window into a new era.
His most notable shortcoming has been against left-handed pitching. Stott hit .225 with a .575 OPS in 123 plate appearances without the platoon advantage last season. Edmundo Sosa has offset the weakness in recent seasons as a part-time second baseman.
Stott rode a hot streak to the finish line in the final two months of 2025 when the lineup collectively hit its stride after the MLB Trade Deadline. Will the success translate to another step in his development in 2026?
It might. It might not. However, don't determine your answer about Bryson Stott based on his spring training numbers.
All stats courtesy of Stat Cast, Baseball Reference, and FanGraphs. WAR formula according to FanGraphs.
