Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott accomplished a rare feat in the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians. The young infielder became just the 12th player in MLB history to record four walks and three stolen bases in a game.
In doing so, Stott joined the ranks of some pretty impressive Hall of Fame names such as Richie Ashburn, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, and Rickey Henderson.
Bryson Stott is the 12th player in AL/NL history—and the first since Darren Lewis in 1991—to have 4 walks and 3 stolen bases in a game. 🤯@Phillies | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/i7ppxZ6OTy
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) July 24, 2023
While Stott went hitless on the day, his contributions to the game were impactful. He scored the eighth and final run of the game for the Phillies which became important as the Guardians threatened with the bases loaded and no outs in their half of the tenth inning. Rob Thomson spoke after the game and had high praise for his second baseman:
"He's another who is just a baseball player. He impacts the game every night it seems, in one way or another.""via Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation
Stott's level of play and impact on the club to this point in the season cannot be understated. He has appeared in 93 of the club's 99 games. The 25-year-old infielder also leads the team in batting average and hits. Stott also has 19 stolen bases— which ranks second on the team— on the season to this point trailing only Trea Turner.
Stott is slashing .304/.348/.436 and has nine home runs and 36 RBI to go along with his impressive slash line. His ability to work an at-bat and avoid the strike outs that plague much of the rest of the lineup is another key to his outstanding sophomore season. On the season Stott's strike out rate is just over 15% which is better than the league average.
on the board, thx Stotty! #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/2iR0eg7h2y
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 16, 2023
Stott leads the team with a 3.2 WAR. On top of his impressive offensive season, the second baseman's defense has also improved this season. Stott has a .989 fielding percentage and has five defensive runs saved above average.
To begin the 2023 campaign not many people would have thought that Stott— being such a young player in just his second MLB season— would be making the impact that he has so far. He has been one of the few consistent members of this Phillies' club and has shown growth and improvement beyond expectations.