The propulsive forces behind the Phillies rousing 2022 World Series run aren't really around right now. Bryce Harper is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow that'll keep him out until midsummer; Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL last month and will miss the whole year; JT Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos are all in the lineup, but are off to so-so starts. The scorching-hot bats that carried the Phillies passed the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres in the playoffs have cooled considerably. As such, the Phillies have been kept afloat during their up and down 4-7 start to the season by their younger players, rather than their starry vets. In particular, Bryson Stott has carried the Phillies to kick off his sophomore year, embarking on a 12-game hit streak to start the season and slashing .422/.435/.489.
By doing so, Stott became the first Phillie in over 80 years to start the season on such a long hit streak; only George Burns in 1925 (13 games), Puddin' Head Jones in 1950 (16 games), Goldie Rapp in 1921 (23 games) and Johnny Moore in 1934 (23 games) are the only four Phillies who have equalled Stott's torrid pace to open the season.
Perhaps most impressively, Stott has maintained his hit streak despite spending most of the season batting towards the bottom of the lineup; Stott has hit eighth or sixth in eight of the Phillies' 12 games and has only hit in the top half of the order twice all season. Fortunately, though, that seems to be changing as Stott has batted lead-off for the last two games.
“I don't think Bryson Stott is going to hit .422 this year,” manager Rob Thomson said on the WIP Morning Show, “but he can hit. He's got the DNA to be that leadoff guy.”
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