‘He’s the best 2B in the league’

Harper and Stott all over the place in Phils’ Game 5 win: ‘He’s the best 2B in the league’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX — As loudly and energetically as he plays, Bryce Harper is often a fairly soft-spoken guy, hesitant to weigh in on his accomplishments in the moment, always willing to heap praise on a teammate who either deserves it or could use the confidence boost.

If ever there was an example of a superstar leading by example, it was Harper in Game 5 of the NLCS, one the Phillies needed after losing by walk-off in Game 3 and blowing a two-run, eighth-inning lead in Game 4.

He helped the Phillies with his bat. And with his baserunning instincts. And with his glove, at a position he’d never played in his life prior to the last six months.

Harper rocketed a single up the middle off Zac Gallen in the first inning to put runners on the corners. Bryson Stott singled in the game’s first run, advancing Harper to third base with two outs. After J.T. Realmuto fell behind in the count 0-2, Stott took off for second. Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno could have eaten it but threw to second base. Stott froze and Harper broke for the plate, beating an errant throw to give the Phillies a two-run lead with their ace on the mound.

It was the first steal of home in Phillies playoff history. Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Ask any player or coach in the Phils’ clubhouse, they’ll tell you Harper sets the tone as the star who plays as hard as anyone.

“I’ll tell you, he is as good as they get. He might be the best I’ve been around,” said manager Rob Thomson, who’s coached players like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

“Just watching him on a daily basis and looking at his playoff numbers since he has been here, it’s astounding.”

The Phillies gave Stott and Harper the sign and they executed the play to perfection.

“It’s the postseason and Gallen’s really good over there, you don’t know how many chances you’re going to get,” Stott said. “If Bryce doesn’t run right when he’s supposed to, you get thrown out. I think last year against the Mets, I hesitated for a second and (Francisco) Lindor threw me out at the plate.

“There’s a lot that goes into that, you have to make a good throw to second, make a good throw home and he’s got to tag him. It’s a risk you’re willing to take and he read it perfectly.”

In the sixth, Harper’s read of a 94 mph Gallen fastball that was high but not high enough resulted in a 444-foot home run, tying Kyle Schwarber and Jayson Werth with 11 playoff home runs, the most in Phillies history.

The Phils beat the Diamondbacks, 6-1, to take a 3-2 lead in the NLCS. Harper, Schwarber and Realmuto homered, Zack Wheeler pitched seven stellar innings on the night he was needed most, and Stott was just as important as any of them.

His two-out single in the first inning saved the Phillies from stranding two in the opening frame, which would have been a momentum boost for Gallen and his offense. His half of the double steal scored a second run.

Then in the seventh inning, with one out, Wheeler at 96 pitches, the Phillies up three and the top of Arizona’s order due up, Stott made a sensational diving play to his left on a ball it looked like he had no chance to reach. He robbed Geraldo Perdomo of a single and Wheeler was out of the inning three pitches later.

Stott is one of three National League Gold Glove finalists at second base. The advanced metrics point toward him winning.

“The defense, it’s probably the best they played behind me all year,” Wheeler said. “It was really cool to watch them do their thing out there. Stott. Harp made a good play. (Nick) Castellanos cutting a ball off and didn’t let it get to the wall.

“Little stuff sometimes makes a difference for us. It makes our job a lot easier keeping a guy on first instead of letting him get to second. I appreciate that, and they made my job a lot easier tonight.”

Stott is 26 years old and already has 27 games of playoff experience. He hit a grand slam in the Phillies’ Game 2 clincher over the Marlins in the wild-card round. He had two good offensive nights to begin the NLDS in Atlanta. Then he went hitless in five of the next six games with an uncharacteristically high chase rate. The at-bats Saturday night were much better. Gallen did not fool the Phillies, particularly their left-handed hitters. He struck out one batter over six innings, a career-low in 119 starts.

Stott has made significant strides from his rookie season to this year — more power, better plate selection, better vs. velocity, better vs. lefties, the major-league leader in two-strike hits.

He’s not yet an All-Star, but he might be on his way, a first-round pick the Phillies are thrilled they made.

“He’s the best second baseman in the league. I’ll put him up against anybody,” Harper said in his postgame interview with MLB Network. “I don’t care who you are, you’re not better than Bryson Stott.”

Harper and Stott go way back, as most Phillies fans know. They’re both Las Vegas kids. Their families are friends. Stott’s known Harper since he was a toddler. His mother was Harper’s sister’s high school cheerleading coach. Stott’s lived with Harper during spring training.

The Phillies talk a lot about being a family, and these two are actually pretty close to it.

“It’s just a lot of fun to see him grow and mature,” Harper said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch.”

The Phillies are a game away from their second straight World Series, in part because their best, most expensive player hustles like the last guy on the roster and young, homegrown, cost-controlled players like Stott, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Johan Rojas are on the ascent.