For years now, the Philadelphia Phillies have featured a variety of either above-average or elite fantasy options in the heart of their lineup.
Looking for a player who can produce at an elite rate at the plate while chipping in with double-digit stolen bases to raise his fantasy ceiling to that of a top 25 or top 10 player? Bryce Harper’s the player for you.
Seeking more elite production in stolen bases, batting average, and runs scored (as well as some quality home run tallies) at the shortstop position? Trea Turner is among the best at his position.
What about one of the league’s best home threats who brings similar runs scored upside, as well as strong overall production in leagues where on-base percentage is part of the scoring? Look no further than Kyle Schwarber for that very specific criteria.
Maybe it’s stolen base production from the catcher position you’re after. Stolen base production combined with quality home run totals, as well as potentially league-winning runs scored and RBI metrics. If that’s what you’re looking for in an early-round pick, consider J.T. Realmuto, the only catcher in the last decade with double-digit stolen bases in a single season (he’s done it four times) and the only backstop this century with 20 stolen bases and 20 home runs in the same season.
So you get it, the Phillies have a bunch of quality fantasy players. Players who probably went anywhere from early to very early in drafts this spring.
And that’s without getting into Brandon Marsh’s home run and stolen base upside, Johan Rojas‘ ability to be a quality stolen base option in deeper leagues, or Nick Castellanos‘ run-scoring, and RBI upside.
And while the Phillies have always had a deep lineup, Harper, Turner, Schwarber, and Realmuto are no longer the only very, very good (to put it plainly) fantasy options starting on a regular basis.
Enter Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm.
By virtue of generally being a hitter with a high contact rate, Stott was able to post solid batting averages and (thus) on-base percentage outlays in his first two seasons. That ability, in turn, led to regular stolen base chances. From 2022 to 2023, the infielder stole 43 bases, the 14th-most in the league among qualified batters and the fifth-most overall among second basemen. The 43 included a career-high 31 in 2023.
The stolen bases, combined with a regular spot in the Phillies’ excellent lineup (more on that specifically in a bit) gave Stott a fairly dependable floor where fantasy production was concerned. Or at least, that seemed to be the case heading into the season.
Now, almost two months into said season, it’s Stott’s ceiling that has risen considerably.
Make no doubt about it, the stolen bases are still there. Entering play Wednesday, Stott had 13 in 172 plate appearances and 44 games, putting him in prime position to not only shatter his previous career high from 2023 but also finish among the top five in the league in the category when all is said and done this year. So far, only six players have more stolen bases than the Phillies infielder.
So all that is well and good, but it’s what Stott has done at the plate that has made him such a quality contributor to both the Phillies and fantasy managers.
The 26-year-old has managed to achieve the trifecta of chasing less, raising his barrel rate, and walking much more often.
The significant bump in walks obviously underscores and elevates the stolen base and run-scored potential even more so, but Stott’s ability to make more loud contact (his xwOBA is up to .347, which would be a new career-high) has given him more fantasy viability across the board.
He’s already at five home runs, and while he isn’t a threat to finish the year with anywhere close to 30, he should comfortably outpace his 2023 total (15).
Stott is up to 30 RBI and 30 runs scored so far. Plenty of that has to do with hitting all over the Phillies lineup, sometimes as high as second or fifth. However, logging an above-average xwOBA and an improved barrel rate certainly doesn’t hurt.
For reference, only Marcus Semien has more RBI among second basemen. Switch the lens to only look at runs scored, and it’s just Semien, Mookie Betts, Ketel Marte and Jose Altuve with more runs scored than Bryson Stott.
And for the most part, it all looks pretty sustainable, especially with the maintained K%, whiff rate, and chase rate metrics.
Furthermore, 9.1% of the balls Stott has put in play have been pop-ups, up from just 4.3% last season. Should that number begin to drop, the 26-year-old’s overall fantasy scoring production will only get better.
Also, as an aside, Stott’s average launch angle is up from 10.1 last year to 14.7 this season. Launch angle is just part of the overall equation, regardless of hitter, but generally speaking, that type of launch angle certainly doesn’t hurt in terms of production. Launch angles in that range, of late, have generally been conducive to success, but having a launch angle more in the 14 to 15-degree range generally leads to more power production (comparatively) as well on batted balls with said launch angles.
*All launch angle data via Statcast.
Bohm, like Stott, has been a solid source of a quality batting average (and a low strikeout rate) for fantasy managers.
The infielder has hit at least .270 in each of the last two seasons and has logged an xBA of .285 or better in three of the past four seasons. He also didn’t see his strikeout rate climb above 18.0% in the same span. In fact, Bohm has logged a strikeout rate above 20.0% just once in his career.
Also like Stott, Bohm has seen a significant uptick in his quality of contact metrics. Unlike Stott, he’s become a significant threat where power production is concerned.
And while all of that is notable, and obviously very good, it’s been Bohm’s ability to punish fastballs and sliders that’s gone hand-in-hand with the increased loud contact in being key in him making the leap from a good fantasy player to a great one this season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, due to all the loud contact, Bohm has cemented himself as a fixture in the top half of the Phillies lineup. Starting the year hitting fifth, Bohm has hit fourth more often than not, with a few starts batting second in the past few weeks. Of course, Trea Turner being on the injured list surely plays a part, but the more a player with Bohm’s quality of contact metrics gets to hit near Bryce Harper and Kyle Scwharber on a regular basis, the more it’s going to continue to show up in fantasy matchup scores.
Entering play Wednesday, Bohm was tied with the Guardians’ José Ramírez for the league lead in RBI with 44. The Phillies corner infielder also ranked seventh in plate appearances with runners in scoring position, something that should continue with regularity moving forward, especially once Turner returns to the fore from his injured list stint.
Also of note is the fact that the 27-year-old is due for some serious positive regression against sinkers, the pitch he’s seen the second-most often this season. Certainly, something to watch for moving forward for one of fantasy baseball’s most impactful hitters this season.