After years of failing MLB drafts, the Philadelphia Phillies finally made it with first-round pick Bryson Stott.
Top prospects don’t always materialize.
Cornelius Randolph (2015), Mickey Moniak (’16) and Adam Haseley (’17) lost back to back in the first round.
Cole Hamels clearly had a great year in ’02, and six years later he was the World Series MVP.
Greg Golson (’04 ), Joe Savery (’07) and Jesse Biddle (’10) are all forgotten.
Drafts are an inexact science.
In ’19, the Philadelphia Phillies took Bryson Stott out of UNLV with the 19th overall pick. He looked like a winner from the start, and it turned out to be true.
Young players have to show patience, and that was evident last season when Stott struggled in a 6-for-66 shooting slump. The Phillies’ patience paid off, with Stott developing into a day-to-day reliable player.
On a deep run in the playoffs, Stott came up with some clutch hits and was a solid presence at shortstop. He doesn’t look like a young player.
While Stott is far from a complete player, this pick already appears to be a winner.
And there’s no reason to believe Stott won’t continue to improve.
Stott came so quickly that the Phillies designated Didi Gregorius in early August. Stott will likely move to second base and Trey Turner will start at shortstop.
Stott finished the regular season with a respectable .234 average, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. In the playoffs under the spotlight, Stott never seemed to panic.
It wasn’t too big a moment.
This is obvious to any viewer.
Back in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, Stott’s nine hits to Spencer Strider. Stott never flinched and was hardly intimidated.
The result was the biggest double of his life.
“I mean, we know he has an electric fastball, and it’s hard to get to the top of the ball because of how much he’s throwing,” Stott said in Game 3. Speaking of Strider after the game. I was able to get it when he dropped it. “
Stott gets it.
While there is still a long way to go before a final decision is made on Stott’s career, the All-Star Game seems Right in his future.
This pick looks like a winner.
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