Q&A: Stott talks AFL performance, defense and more

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Bryson Stott was the Phillies¡¯ first-round pick in 2019, taken No. 14 overall out of UNLV. He went from High-A to Triple-A in his first full season of pro ball in 2021, finishing with a .876 OPS, then capped it off with a very strong performance in the Arizona Fall League. He¡¯s knocking on the big league door as he gets ready for the 2022 season.

Jonathan Mayo: I know in a lot of ways things are unusual here, but it's still Spring Training, getting ready for a season in what could be a really big year for you. Coming in, how do you find the balance between preparing, but also thinking, my time could be coming any minute?

Bryson Stott: Obviously, it's weird not seeing those guys over there. And obviously not being at big league camp is a big one. And I mean, the guys here, they're great and they get us going and kind of make it feel like a normal Spring Training. And there's a lot of new faces in [director of player development Preston Mattingly] and Kevin Bradshaw and those guys are doing a great job. It's running smooth and it feels great.

? Phillies Minor League camp report

Mayo: I want to hone in on your time in the [Arizona] Fall League, which is when I saw you, coming off of a good year. You looked like you could have played another month or two, like you had plenty left in the tank. How good did you feel? Did you get a chance to kind of look back and think, ¡°That went pretty well.¡±?

Stott: I think I played over 200 games last year, and my body felt great. I wanted to keep going. My swing felt great. I went to Hawaii right when I got home, and then I got back to hitting. So I mean, it was fun, it was a fun year. And like I said, I just felt great the whole time.

Mayo: There¡¯s one at-bat, close to the end of the season, where you took an inside pitch and yanked it out down the right-field line. I felt like that's something that you're just kind of learning that you can do, because I know you're always a hitter first. Can you talk a little bit about how comfortable you're getting with sort of tapping into that power more?

Stott: I've always been able to pull the ball; that's never been something I've not been able to do. But just kind of going with certain pitches. And I'm pretty sure that my first at-bat, the pitcher threw me that same pitch and I hit it straight in the air and I actually told Joe Thurston, who¡¯s with us now, I said, ¡°I think he's gonna do it again, because he thinks he got me.¡± He did it first pitch, and I didn't miss that one.

Mayo: Is that something you have to put out of your mind? Because people always want to know how much power, how much impact is there going to be. Have you always had confidence that you knew that it's going to come, especially as you keep getting stronger and physically mature?

Stott: My freshman year, I only hit one home run in college. And then my sophomore year, I led the country in doubles. So I kind of always knew I had that power in there. And then my junior year, obviously, some of those doubles started going over the fence and my first couple games in pro ball, I hit six home runs that year. And obviously, I hit a few home runs this past year. So I mean, it's kind of always been in there, but like I said, I try to go with those pitches and not try to start yanking because that's when I get in trouble.

Mayo: Right. But you managed not to do that; [Double-A] Reading is kind of a place where guys can kind of fall out of their approach, because it's such a good place to hit. Do you have to remind yourself to sort of stay with your game plan?

Stott: Not really. I think I only hit, probably, two home runs to my pull side in Reading. They were center or left-center. I really tried to stay with that approach. And our hitting coach in Reading [Tyler Henson] is great. He knows my swing, and he knew that if I tried to start yanking them into that pool, it was gonna be bad.

Mayo: So tell me a little bit about your overall approach. Even in college, you walked more than you struck out. That's something you carried with you in pro ball. Where did that come from?

Stott: I hate striking out. I like getting on base and kind of not getting out of my zone and helping the team, do what I can and to get on base. And obviously you need a good on-base percentage. I know the pitches I can't do much with ¨C they¡¯re balls now, at the level I'm at, they¡¯re balls, and sometimes in college, they would be strikes so I'd have to swing. I try not to miss pitches I shouldn't miss.

Mayo: I don't want to only talk about hitting because I know you take pride in your defense, too. Tell me a bit about the work that you've done to make sure that you can stay at shortstop, and how much fun was it to slide over and play some third base in the Fall League?

Stott: I¡¯ve done a lot of stuff there and our infield coordinators have been great. Even in the Fall League, I was out there pretty much three times a week doing early work. I love playing short and being able to slide over to third or play second during the season was fun. And obviously the more positions you play, the better your chances are, just to get to Philadelphia in any way I can. Whatever it takes I'm willing to do, and I¡¯ve got to keep hitting and keep playing defense.

Mayo: I would imagine that you¡¯d sort of have to check your ego on that. Because you¡¯re a shortstop, you're a leader on the field. To realize that just because you're playing third or second doesn't mean that you can't play shortstop. It's like you said, it just increases your opportunities.

Stott: Right. It's never a demotion if you get moved over, especially if you're in the big leagues. It doesn't really matter if you're playing third, short, second, left field, it doesn't matter as long as you're in that lineup, and in the big leagues, it's not a demotion. And like I said, I just want to do anything I can to get there.

Mayo: I wanted to ask you, because I was reading about your relationship with [Cincinnati Reds LHP] Amir Garrett, and how much it's meant to you to have a guy from your area who's done it up there, can you talk a little bit about your relationship with Amir?

Stott: He's awesome. I'll catch his flat ground, so instead of just going out there and catching him and taking balls off the shin I try to see what he's doing with certain pitches, being a big left-handed pitcher. Seeing his slots and stuff like that has really helped me in my game. We'll sit and watch games and he'll tell me what he would throw and then what they don't throw and stuff like that. So just kind of seeing that approach from someone who's up there and who does that is awesome.

Mayo: You ever challenge him on the basketball court?

Stott: Oh, no. No, no.

Mayo: Too smart for that?

Stott: Too smart.

Mayo: Alright, one last question. How much of your ability comes from the flow?

Stott: My hair is everything, I guess. Everyone tells me I can't cut it. And I mean, I like it. I think there's some hits in there.