Beloved Phillies lefty hitter might finally have his breakout year in 2026

The Philadelphia Phillies are entering the 2026 MLB season with World Series aspirations. But to get over the hump, they will need Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and many others to have great years.

While the stars matter, so too do the other core players on the roster. Alec Bohm and the entire outfield need to have good seasons if the Phillies are to win the World Series. But another important player is the beloved infielder Bryson Stott.

After a solid end to 2025, hitting .294 across the final 61 games last year, The Athletic's Jim Bowden named Stott as a breakout candidate for the 2026 MLB season after his late-season change has translated to 2026 spring training.

Phillies' Bryson Stott might be on cusp of breakout year

"At age 28, he looks ready for his breakout season, and this spring could be a preview, as he's looked fantastic, reaching base frequently and hitting for power," Bowden writes.

Stott has been in the Majors for a few years now, making his MLB debut in 2022, right when the Phillies turned the corner and returned to the postseason.

The lefty-hitting second baseman hit .257 with a .719 OPS last year, not bad numbers, but also not good enough to call a breakout season. But that might change this upcoming year.

This spring, Stott is hitting .245 with two home runs and a 1.030 OPS across 29 at-bats. It's a small sample size, but with his production to close out the year in 2025 in mind, Stott is trending in the right direction as a player.

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Stott still needs to bring his spring success into the regular season and carry that throughout a full season. But, with how good he looked to close out the 2025 season, and his production this spring, there's hope he could turn in a strong 2026 season.

In his MLB career, Stott has been a good fielding second baseman, but he's struggled to be a consistently good hitter. He has a .256 average and .701 OPS in his career across 2017 at-bats.

If he can continue hitting for more power like he's done recently, and raise on-base percentage and batting average, Stott could be in line for a breakout year in his fifth season in the Major Leagues.

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