Philadelphia Phillies: What does the future hold for Scott Kingery?

What should become of Philadelphia Phillies infielder Scott Kingery?

Hailed as the “Philadelphia Phillies version of Dustin Pedroia”, Scott Kingery was supposed to help usher in a new era of baseball success in the city of Philadelphia. A second-round pick in the 2015 draft, Kingery did nothing but impress upon entering the minor league system. He was selected to the All-Star Futures Game in 2017, named to Baseball America’s minor league All-Star team, and won a Rawling’s Gold Glove for his defensive efforts at second base.

After three years of utter dominance in the farm system, it appeared like the Phillies had themselves a star in the making. With this notion in mind, the team’s front office acted quickly in terms of locking Kingery up for the future.

In March of 2018, Kingery was inked to a six-year extension worth $24 million guaranteed. The contract included club options for 2024, 2025, and 2026 as well; the largest amount of guaranteed money ever handed out to a player yet to make his professional debut. At the time, it felt like the Phillies had got themselves a steal, as they had their “franchise” second baseman locked up for the next nine seasons.

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Kingery made his major league debut in 2018, and for the most part he struggled pretty severely. He hit just .226 across 147 games, only driving in 35 total runs. Kingery primarily played at shortstop during his first season, as Cesar Hernandez still occupied the right side of the infield.

2019 saw Kingery take a significant step forward, as his batting average climbed to a respectable .258 and his OPS to a .788. He hit 19 home runs and drove in 55 runs, showcasing some of that pop that he was praised for in the minors. Kingery still couldn’t land an everyday gig at second base however, as Cesar was still in town. Instead, Kingery bounced between third base and centerfield.

After his promising sophomore season, 2020 was supposed to be a major breakout season for the young infielder. Instead, Kingery had the worst year of his baseball career. He hit just .159, and he failed to hang onto the everyday second base job that he was initially promised during the offseason. It’s important to note that Kingery did have a nasty battle with COVID-19 right at the start of the regular season, which likely set him back big time.

Heading into the 2021 season, it looks like the Philadelphia Phillies are at least going to enter Spring Training once again committing to Kingery as an everyday player. Gregorius is set to depart via free agency, and it’s unlikely that the team will shell out big money for a replacement. With Jean Segura being in a bit of positional limbo at this stage in his career, it’s unclear how exactly the Phillies middle infield will shape up. Segura’s declining athleticism makes him a better fit at second base, but Kingery of course excelled defensively at second down in the minors.

Kingery could also slide back into the outfield, as the team’s centerfield position is still murky.

Personally, I would lock in Kingery as the everyday second baseman for at least one full season. It’s hard to call 2020 an accurate representation of who Scott is as a player (considering the length of the season and COVID-19), and he’s still only 26 years old. Giving him a proper 162 games to prove his worth at the position could prove huge for his development.

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Ultimately speaking, the Philadelphia Phillies really need Kingery to take that next step in 2021. They committed a good amount of money to him, and they always expected him to be a “plus” player in the infield. Fans of the team are quickly starting to sour on Kingery due to his struggles this past season, but the organization shouldn’t be anywhere close to that quite yet. Whether it’s at second base, shortstop, or even in the outfield; expect to see a large dose of Kingery in 2021.

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