Can Phillies Second Baseman Bounce Back in 2025 After Down Year in 2024?
The Philadelphia Phillies enter the 2025 season after a disappointing end to the season, falling to the New York Mets in the NLDS. This series, along with the entire second half of the season, there was little offense to no offense from the Phillies, as its bats went quiet heading into the postseason. Traditionally, the team had to rely on the home run ball due to the lineup’s power potential, but the long ball was not arriving for the Phillies. The place where the team gets most of its other kind of offense, contact hitting, is through Bryson Stott. The 27-year-old second baseman has been a reliable hitter throughout his career with the Phillies to go along with his ability defensively. In 2023, Stott hit for a career-high in batting average at .280 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs on the season. Like for most of the team, things in 2024 did not go as well for Stott as it had in 2023.
Stott dealt with an elbow injury that started in May and continued during the 2024 season, causing his swing to have to be adjusted on the fly throughout the season. The swing adjustment had to be made because of nerve damage from the initial injury. Stott himself opened in the beginning of spring training about the injury and the struggles he had to go through. Detailing that he was healthy enough to play but he struggled to find the sweet spot for his swing. In 2024 Stott’s batting average, home runs and RBIs all saw declines: tallying a .245 batting average, 11 home runs and 57 RBIs. Those same struggles carried into the playoffs where Stott hit .182 with only two hits in the postseason. Despite the struggles at the plate, Stott proved his worth defensively as he was the best second baseman in the National League in fielding percentage .993%.
The Phillies will need Stott on both ends of the field going into a pivotal 2025 season for the organization. With a core that is right on the doorstep of a championship, the Phillies will need all hands-on deck in their hunt to return to the Fall Classic. Stott has remained confident in his ability to get back to a comfortable spot with his swing and get back to where he was offensively. Stott’s role offensively is massive with a lineup with a lot of power like the one the Phillies have. His ability to get on base and move the runners is crucial for the team’s success. Coincidentally, the team started to struggle as Stott’s injury began in May and got worse throughout the season. Stott looks for a bounce-back year similar to 2023 with a different postseason result for the Phillies.
