Bryson Stott has ‘a chance to win a batting title someday,’ Phillies’ Kevin Long says

With his go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning Monday night, Bryson Stott became only the second left-handed hitter to take Atlanta Braves lefty A.J. Minter deep in Minter’s six-year major league career.

And to hear Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long tell it, Stott is only getting started.

“I think he’s got a chance to win a batting title someday,” Long said Tuesday before the Phillies and Braves continued their three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. “That’s heavy weight for a guy that, well, jeez, he’s hitting below .200. But that’s how much I think of where he’s at.”

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The Phillies remain bullish on Stott and intend to continue playing him regularly even after second baseman Jean Segura returns, possibly by next week, from a broken right index finger. Because despite the 24-year-old rookie infielder’s .196/.268/.332 slash line through 235 plate appearances, there are underlying signs of an impact hitter at the major league level.

Start here: Stott doesn’t often swing at pitches out of the strike zone. His 22.9% chase rate puts him in the 80th percentile among hitters, according to Statcast. From June 17 through Monday night, he struck out only nine times in 103 plate appearances, including a 15-game span in which he fanned just once.

According to Long, Stott went three weeks without swinging and missing a pitch in the strike zone.

But Stott also hasn’t had much luck. Entering Tuesday night, his batting average on balls in play was .215 (.300 is considered average). All things considered, Long was almost as excited Monday night about Stott’s topper that spun away from Braves first baseman Matt Olson and went for a two-run double despite being hit so softly that it didn’t register an exit velocity.

“Because he’s lined out probably 30 times in the last month,” Long said. “When you don’t get rewarded, yeah, it weighs on you. There were some times when he was just down and out. He’d have an 0-for-4 and hit four balls over 100 mph, and he’s like, ‘I don’t understand.’ To get something like that, he was relieved.

“He knows that what he’s done from April to where he is now, he’s kind of let everybody know that, ‘Hey, I’m a major league player, and I can do it up here.’ That’s the cool part.”

Stott has started 42 of the last 47 games, mostly at second base and occasionally at shortstop since Segura went down. It could pose a challenge for interim manager Rob Thomson when Segura returns.

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Veteran shortstop Didi Gregorius has been an everyday player for most of his career. It’s unclear if he would be effective coming off the bench. But if Stott continues to have good at-bats, he could eat into Gregorius’ playing time.

Stott, a left-handed hitter, actually has better splits against lefties (.710 on-base plus slugging) than right-handed pitchers (.565). He could also spell Alec Bohm at third base.

Thomson suggested Monday night that Stott may profile as a leadoff hitter in the future. Long concurred, predicting that Stott has the plate discipline and strike-zone awareness to be “an on-base machine.” Thomson elaborated Tuesday, noting that Stott is beginning to resemble the hitter that left Phillies officials so impressed last year when they watched him in the Arizona Fall League.

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“I saw about 30 at-bats and there weren’t many bad at-bats. Almost every one of them was just what you are seeing right now,” Thomson said. “Really good plate discipline, using the field, showing a little power, hitting balls in the gaps. When he’s locked in, he’s pretty impressive. He’s got all those [top-of-the-order] traits. He really does. And he handles lefties. He stays in on lefties very well.”

Segura was scheduled to get three or four at-bats as the designated hitter for triple-A Lehigh Valley. He could progress to playing second base Wednesday night. ... Infielder Nick Maton (shoulder) was reinstated from the injured list and optioned to Lehigh Valley. ... The Phillies announced a tentative guest list for alumni weekend on Aug. 5-7: Bobby Abreu, Luis Aguayo, Ruben Amaro Jr., Larry Andersen, Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Warren Brusstar, Marty Bystrom, Steve Carlton, Larry Christenson, Chad Durbin, Lee Elia, Pat Gillick, Greg Gross, Tommy Greene, John Kruk, Mike Lieberthal, Greg Luzinski, Garry Maddox, Charlie Manuel, Gary Matthews, Bake McBride, Tim McCarver, Mickey Morandini, Jamie Moyer, Dickie Noles, Ron Reed, Pete Rose, Dick Ruthven, Juan Samuel, Kevin Saucier, Mike Schmidt, Jim Thome, Milt Thompson, Manny Trillo, Del Unser, George Vukovich, Bob Walk and Bobby Wine. ... Kyle Gibson (5-4, 4.69 ERA) will start Wednesday’s matinee series finale against Braves right-hander Charlie Morton (5-4, 4.20).