Bryson Stott, infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, has been focusing on refining his approach at the plate after making adjustments to his swing during the latter part of last season. For much of last year, Stott said he was preoccupied with thoughts about his swing and where he wanted to hit the ball—something he acknowledged is not ideal when facing pitchers like Paul Skenes or Chris Sale.
Stott described how a change in mindset and mechanics led to improved results. He batted .228 with a .626 OPS through July 22 but finished the season hitting .307 with an .885 OPS.
“I kind of turned left field off last year,” Stott said before Friday’s Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. “In a sense, I just tried to pull everything. I got on the plate a little more. I tried to turn those outside pitches to middle pitches. If it happened to go to left, it happened to go to left. I think I get in trouble sometimes. I focus so much on left field that I miss pitches that I should pull and try to steer stuff.”
During recent games, Stott demonstrated versatility by hitting a home run to left field against Nationals pitcher Jake Eder and then doubling to right-center off Marlins pitcher Robby Snelling.
Looking ahead, Stott believes this approach can be sustained but recognizes he needs to prove it over time. Phillies manager Rob Thomson plans for Stott and Edmundo Sosa to platoon at second base this season.
“They know I want to play every day,” Stott said. “I go in telling them I want to play 162 [games] every year. Obviously, when you get the chances to face lefties, you have to make the most of it.”
The Phillies coaching staff supports Stott’s changes. He lowered his hands after the All-Star break, which allowed his swing “to flow naturally.” Hitting coach Kevin Long noted that previously Stott was losing energy through his hips rather than directing force toward the mound.
“If I lose energy this way,” Long said motioning to the right, “I’m not hitting into my front side. I kill my bat speed doing that. We had to get him going toward the baseball. It changed his contact point.”
Statcast data shows that Stott’s average point of contact moved from 25.7 inches in April to 31.2 inches in August, indicating he was hitting balls further out front more often. His bat speed also increased from 68.6 mph in April to 70.1 mph in August.
“If you’re out front, you’re getting there faster,” Stott said.
He added that maintaining balance at the plate is key: “It’s a fine line,” he explained about not overcorrecting between pulling and guiding balls across different parts of the field.
Stott emphasized that while he still aims to use all fields, he intends for it happen organically: “If you just take your swing and it’s an outside pitch, it’s going to go to left, instead of trying to guide it to left,” he said.
Stott also mentioned how lowering his hands helped clear his mind at bat: “The first time I [lowered my hands], I stopped thinking about where my hands are, where I’m finishing and loading and things like that,” he said.
The Philadelphia Phillies represent their city as a Major League Baseball team and engage fans through games and community outreach efforts (official website). The team plays its home games at Citizens Bank Park since 2004 (official website) and has won World Series titles in both 1980 and 2008 (official website). The organization serves both local fans in Philadelphia as well as regional and national audiences (official website).
