There was only one acceptable answer. Credit the Phillies for realizing it. There are plenty of scenarios that would have offered Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton an opportunity to talk themselves out of including the organization’s top hitting prospect on the opening-day roster. In a lot of those situations, the Phillies would have been doing the right thing the same way they are now.
Bryson Stott isn’t getting his shot because of morals or ethics or organizational goodwill. He is getting his shot because it makes the most sense, both competitively and economically, short-term and long-term.
Perhaps a quick catch-up is in order, because a lot has happened in a short amount of time. Three years ago this June, the Phillies used the No. 14 overall pick in the draft to select Stott out of UNLV, where he established himself as one of the sweetest-swinging shortstops in collegiate baseball. The organization touted him as a player who could make a quick rise to the majors and reverse the Phillies’ ongoing misfortunes with first-round picks.
