Bryson Stott
When you shell out $20+ million contracts to players in back to back offseasons, you have to have a plan set in place to surround said players with cheaper, complimentary contracts. The easiest way to do that? Draft well, and utilize your prospects while they’re still on their rookie deals.
The Phillies have no doubt struggled to draft over the past few years. After completely gutting their farm system during the early 2010s (as they aimed to win multiple championships), the Phillies were put in a position where they had to consistently crush each draft, year after year. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Highly rated prospects came and went, with only a few truly sticking around to be labeled “successes” (Aaron Nola).
However, it looks like the Phillies have in fact struck gold with their recent first-round pick. Selected 14th overall in the 2019 draft, Bryson Stott has done nothing but impress since entering the Phillies’ minor league system. Across 44 games in Williamsport, Stott hit .274 with an .816 OPS.
Stott is currently only 22 years old, and a call-up to the majors after just one year in the minor leagues is incredibly unlikely, especially considering how long the Phillies like to keep their prospects down there. However, it’s not impossible. This past season alone has proven younger athletes can make a serious impact on the major league level (see guys like Juan Soto and Ronald Acuna Jr. for example).
If Gregorious chooses to leave in free agency, and the Phillies feel confident in their first-round selection, don’t be surprised if Stott is trotting out there in 2021 as a day one starter.