Phillies should move Bryson Stott to 2-hole for rest of World Series

The Phillies should move Bryson Stott up in their World Series lineup.

Let’s face it: the vibes are bad. After all, the Houston Astros made history against the Philadelphia Phillies with a combined no-hitter.

The 2022 World Series is now tied at two a piece. And maybe Phillies fans just need to embrace the team’s streaky nature. Still, it may be time to shake things up in the lineup. And you do it by moving shortstop Bryson Stott to the two-hole.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. But, let’s explore what this could look like. The lineup we’ve seen this postseason usually looks something like the one below.

Something like swapping Stott and Rhys Hoskins in the batting order might raise some eyebrows. But, given their near 30-point difference in on-base percentage (OBP), it’s worth a shot. Plus, Stott is averaging nearly five pitches per at-bat this postseason, which helps the rest of the lineup.

Here’s how the Phillies hitters rank for OBP:

1. Bryce Harper, DH (.410)
2. Kyle Schwarber, LF (.385)
3. J.T. Realmuto, C (.302)
4. Alec Bohm, 3B (.276)
5. Bryson Stott, SS (.261)
6. Brandon Marsh, CF (.256)
7. Nick Castellanos (.250)
8. Jean Segura, 2B (.245)
9. Rhys Hoskins, 1B (.234)
10. Matt Vierling, OF (.167)

Stott is fifth on the team in OBP. Couple that with the number of pitches he sees, and he should be hitting higher up in the lineup. Allowing him to work the count and give players a chance to see more pitches is what the Phillies need. Make the opposing team’s starters work harder early on.

With Kyle Schwarber and Stott at one and two, the Phillies should have more RBI opportunities for J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper. From there, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm, and Hoskins should have more chances to knock in some runs of their own.

My adjusted lineup would look like the below, with each player’s OBP included:

1. Kyle Schwarber, LF (.385)
2. Bryson Stott, SS (.261)
3. J.T. Realmuto, C (.302)
4. Bryce Harper, DH (.410)
5. Nick Castellanos (.250)
6. Alec Bohm, 3B (.276)
7. Rhys Hoskins, 1B (.234)
8. Jean Segura, 2B (.245)
9. Brandon Marsh, CF (.256)

Could this small tweak provide a spark the Phillies need? Possibly. Either way, they need something to bounce back from the deeply disappointing — and flat-out frustrating — loss in Game 4.

As Game 5 nears, Rob Thomson should consider using his talented rookie to take more pitches against Justin Verlander in the first inning.