A few months ago, during a broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia, Mike Schmidt had joined Tom McCarthy in the broadcast booth. During one of Stott’s plays, Schmidt began to rave about Stott and compared him to the Phillies legendary second baseman and World Series champion Chase Utley.
Having a compliment such as that is no mistake. Stott’s defense has continued to improve and becoming reminiscent of Utley on both sides of the diamond.
Utley, at the age of 25, played in 94 games. Over those 94 games, Utley had 267 at-bats. With 71 hits, Utley had 36 runs and 57 RBI. Utley finished his second season with a batting average of .266. That following season when Utley turned 26, Utley played 147 games with 547 at-bats. Utley ended up with 158 hits and recording 105 RBI and 93 runs. Utley also hit 28 home runs that season, ultimately propelling him into the following season where he became an All-Star for the first time.
Bryson Stott with some pop!
— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2023
His 16-game hitting streak to start the season ties a @Phillies franchise record. pic.twitter.com/YLqzdi4FIv
While Stott does have some power, his ability to put barrel to ball is important to the success of this lineup. In 77 games this season, Stott has 310 at-bats, recording 91 hits. Stott has also scored 35 runs and batted in 30 RBI, with Stott’s OBP is currently sitting at .331 with an OPS of .747. Stott has a batting average of .294 and has shown no signs of slowing down.
ICYMI - Stotter is red hotpic.twitter.com/8BXlw2Psa8
— Phillies HR Tracker (@PHI_HR_Tracker) June 15, 2023
Overall, Stott has a long way to go to be the next Chase Utley. However, with the great start to his career, the sky is the limit!