Phillies select Bryson Stott, SS

Honestly, I didn’t think this was possible. Stott has been ranked top 10 all spring and was widely regarded as the top shortstop in the draft. Those profiles usually don’t fall to the 14th pick. Here is everything I wrote about Stott last month (almost exactly a month ago):

Stott is a 6’3” 195 lbs left handed hitter who went undrafted out of High School and went to UNLV. He was recruited by some power programs too, but chose Vegas. His bat has really taken off and improved each season to the point he is now probably the premier shortstop in this draft. He walks more than he K’s (hell, he damned near stole more than he k’d last year). He’s a bit of a line drive hitter, but he has a good approach and good contact skills, so there’s a potential for above average power to develop down the line. He’s well reviewed for his defense, not Gold Glove good, but good enough to stick at short.

I think what dropped Stott to the 14th pick was that none of his tools are really established. He didn’t hit with much power prior to a swing change this year, but that raised his K rate to ~14% (still 6 percentage points lower than his BB rate). He has a good arm for Short, but scouts suspect he’ll have to move to 3rd as he fills out. He sometimes posts 60 grade run times to first, but not consistently and as he fills out he might drop to a 45. He also plays in the Mountain West Conference, so some questions about level of competition too.

If he can keep his current power trend and not revert to slap hitting, his bat is fine for third base. It’s good insurance if Bohm needs to move to First or Left Field at some point. Video from Lydia Vasquez.

In case you want to see some Stott game action, here’s a video from Shaun P. Kernahan of Stott this year playing against Air Force.