Bryson Stott is healthy, but getting back to being a ‘reaction hitter’ is just as key to a resurgence in 2025

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Bryson Stott led off Monday for the Phillies, and as soon as he stepped to the plate, his mind moved at the speed of Twins starter Pablo López’s fastball.

“I was like, ‘This is a guy who threw me 10 straight changeups at one point [in a previous game],’” Stott said. “‘One’s got to be coming.’”

And?

“It never came,” Stott said.

» READ MORE: The Phillies say they aren’t too concerned, but Matt Strahm’s status for opening day is uncertain

OK, for accuracy’s sake, Stott saw four consecutive changeups and a curveball in an August 2023 matchup against López. But his point was well-taken. He allowed a pitcher to dictate his approach to an at-bat. Guessing changeup, he struck out on an elevated fastball out of the zone, the fifth heater in a row from López to begin the game.

“Kind of a nutshell of last year,” Stott said.

Last year, Stott’s offense regressed in every measurable way from 2023. His batting average fell 35 points to .245; his OPS plummeted 76 points to .671. He had 11 homers and 32 extra-base hits, down from 15 and 49. His hard-hit rate slid to 30.9% from 35.3%. Even his strikeout rate, though still reasonable, ticked up to 16.3% from 15.6%.

The Phillies attributed Stott’s backslide, at least in part, to a right elbow injury that went undisclosed until manager Rob Thomson mentioned it in December. The second baseman explained a few weeks ago that he irritated a nerve in May and that it often flared up when he hyperextended it on swings and misses.

But Stott played through it, never succumbing to the injured list. And although there’s little doubt he was compromised, one National League talent evaluator recently pointed out that a banged-up elbow doesn’t explain the indecisiveness that seeped into Stott’s approach at the plate.

In 2023, Stott got 82 hits with two strikes, tied with Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. for the most in baseball. But there’s a reason the league average with two strikes is only .168. Constantly falling into two-strike counts is a tough way for a hitter to live.

» READ MORE: These three Phillies face uncertain futures beyond 2025. Let’s examine the outlook for each to return.

Going into last season, the Phillies encouraged Stott to be aggressive early in the count. For the most part, he was. He swung at 20.5% of first pitches, up from 16.4% in 2023 though still far below the major league average (29.9%).

But opposing pitchers changed their pattern. Rather than challenging Stott with fastballs early in counts and trying to get him out with offspeed stuff later, they threw more breaking balls early, slowing up his bat and getting him out on fastballs. He batted .217 on heaters, down from .304 in 2023.

“I think he got caught in between a little bit,” Thomson said.

The Phillies believe Stott will be a better hitter simply because his elbow is healthy again, a reasonable assumption. But finding a plate approach that best suits him and sticking with it will be equally meaningful.

“I think I get in trouble where I try to think with the pitcher,” Stott said. “I’m just more of a reaction hitter. Get back to being on time for the fastball and letting my eyes and hands react to everything else.”

Stott had back-to-back promising days on the Phillies’ two-game trip to Fort Myers. After recording a two-strike single and drawing a walk against the Twins, he singled twice and walked twice Tuesday in an 18-8 victory against the Red Sox.

» READ MORE: How important is batting order? As the Phillies experiment with their lineup, let’s look at the numbers.

The first hit, in particular, stood out against Boston. Not only did it come with two strikes against veteran reliever Adam Ottavino, but Stott took the ball the other way to left field. The Phillies want him to use the field more rather than trying to power the ball to right field.

Stott suggested that hitting with two strikes can help open up the field.

“When you get to two strikes, you don’t care where you hit it, whether it’s right [field], left, up the middle, anywhere,” Stott said. “You’re just kind of reacting and going from there. I’d get to two strikes last year and, ‘Oh, he hasn’t thrown me a changeup. That’s his pitch. I’m going to sit on this,’ and it was a fastball.

“Or ‘I’m going to be on time for the fastball,’ and I’d be early on a slider or something.’ Just more of just reacting and going from there.”

Hitting coach Kevin Long said Stott can still be “more aggressive in hitters’ counts.” But he’s clearly comfortable when he falls behind, too, because he tends to swing at strikes. In a Phillies lineup that is filled with aggressive hitters, Stott doesn’t often chase pitches out of the zone.

“I think it’s a balance,” Thomson said. “I think he can get caught up in taking too many first pitches that are right down the middle, that are hittable. But he really controls the strike zone. He just needs to continue to do that and use the field. With being healthy, I think he’s going to be able to do that. Because he can really hit.”

» READ MORE: The Phillies want Trea Turner to be himself in 2025. And that means creating ‘havoc’ on the bases.

Center fielder Brandon Marsh exited after his fifth-inning at-bat with a leg cramp but checked out fine, according to Thomson. … Aaron Nola worked four innings in a simulated game in Clearwater, Fla., while relievers Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks, and José Ruiz threw one inning apiece. … The Phillies optioned pitching prospect Mick Abel to triple A and reassigned catcher Paul McIntosh, infielder Otto Kemp, and outfielders Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Matt Kroon to minor-league camp. They have 48 players left in camp.