Every week, we break down a different MLB shortstop to examine — good or bad. Maybe it's an MLB top prospect, a “flavor of the month” on the fantasy baseball waiver wire, or someone who could be “sell-high” trade bait. Sometimes, it's a superstar or burgeoning player who is turning in the season we were all hoping for and rising up fantasy baseball rankings. In this edition of the Fantasy Alarm Player Spotlight series, we will turn our attention to Bryson Stott. For the first four months of the 2022 fantasy baseball season, Bryson Stott languished and failed to live up to his prospect hype. But things are really starting to click for him as we approach the end of the season. Should he be on our rosters for the fantasy playoffs and in 2023?

Bryson Stott Fantasy Baseball Player Spotlight

As the 14th overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft, expectations for Bryson Stott were sky-high as he entered the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Through his stops in the minor leagues, he lived up to those expectations every step of the way. In fact, it took Stott less than a year and a half to move from High-A ball all the way to Triple-A. He earned a promotion to the big club this year, but they decided he needed a little more seasoning in AAA after a few weeks. He then slashed .333/.375/.611 through his two weeks down there, which earned him a permanent spot in the majors. But the big-league road has been filled with many obstacles for Stott and it’s not been until recently that he emerged from a major slump.

Stott Struggled Immensely His First Four Months 

By the time August 1st arrived, it looked like the Phillies had a real problem on their hands. Among 30 shortstops with at least 250 plate appearances, Stott ranked 27th in OPS (.587) with players like Nicky Lopez, Elvis Andrus, and Diego Castillo ahead of him. His batting average (.198) was atrocious, his slugging percentage (.321) was among the lowest in the league, and his wRC+ was 34% below the league average. 

But the Phillies remained patient as it was clear there were some signs of hope. First, Stott’s BABIP of .215 was the lowest among all shortstops by at least 12 points. He was sixth in BB/K ratio, keeping up his minor league track record of never striking out. And his speed score remained in the top half of all major league shortstops. The Phillies kept the faith and didn’t yank Stott in and out of the lineup or up and down from AAA. And in August, they were finally rewarded. 

Stott Has Been a Different Player Over the Last Month

Over the last 30 days, the luck has drastically turned around for Stott. In that span, Stott’s OPS is fourth among all qualified shortstops (.774), his BABIP has done an about-face at .342, and he has one home run, 10 runs, and four stolen bases in 25 games. His batting average (.289) naturally followed the BABIP turnaround, and he still isn’t ever striking out – just 16.5% this past month. 

Stott is never going to be a massive power guy. He hit 22 total home runs in the minor leagues from 2019-2021. But what he did do well was supply an elite batting average, score buckets of runs, and showed a real ability to steal bases. But he does have eight home runs and eight steals this year despite the abysmal start to the season, giving fantasy managers hope that there might be a 10/15 season in there to go along with a high batting average and the improving plate discipline. 

Stott improved his contact rate (which was always his minor league strength) from the depths of 75% in April to touching 95% at times over the last month. This last month will be the real test to determine whether or not these gains can stick for an extended period of time, particularly as the pressure of a playoff race looms. 

What Can We Expect from Bryson Stott in 2023?

Will Stott be a top-12, make-sure-you-draft-him shortstop in 2023 drafts? Likely not. There are too many Lindors, Seagers, Bichettes, Turners, Correas, and Bogaerts in the MLB universe for that scenario to happen. But Stott should certainly be on our radar as a Middle Infield slot in the later rounds in drafts. 

In spring NFBC drafts leading up to the 2022 season, however, Stott’s ADP was just 467. I can clearly see a path where that number is cut in half and Stott is drafted somewhere in the range of where Jonathan Villar was in spring 2022 (ADP of 245). Stott may not be able to provide the league-winning upside in one category as Villar once did, but he should give managers a boost in four rotisserie categories and can provide significant help in average or on-base percentage which is typically so hard to find late in drafts.

 


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