Rob Thompson says the 2023 Phillies could feature the return of Scott Kingery and #JetpaxSzn
With the Phillies recent trade of utility players Matt Vierling and Nick Maton, Scott Kingery, a once beloved prospect and now the frequent butt of jokes has a chance to redeem himself and officially make the 2023 campaign #JetpaxSzn.
For the Phillies, Scott Kingery has come to represent the entire organizations failure to develop major league talent for the better part of a decade. As a heralded prospect, Kingery displayed such promise that the Phillies handed him a $24 million contract before he had even stepped in a major league batters box.
For a city starved for good baseball, Scottie once represented the next age of Phillies baseball. We all know what happened next..
After two promising but mediocre seasons to begin his career, Kingery entered the 2020 pandemic season expected to compete for everyday at-bats spread across numerous open positions around the diamond. Instead he slashed just .159/.228/.283, good for an OPS+ of 37 over 36 games before the Phillies were forced to designate him for assignment.
Since then, Kingery has logged just 19 plate appearances across 16 games in the majors, including just one during the Phillies magical 2022 run to the World Series. A run in which Matt Vierling and Nick Maton, two once little known prospects, contributed under the brightest lights, while Kingery could only watch on from home.
But in a recent interview with MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Rob Thompson spoke regarding the status of Kingery and his chances of making the club out of Spring Training as a non-roster invitee in 2023.
“Scotty is a highly talented guy,” Thomson said. “He got a little sideways there for a little bit. Maybe we can get him back and get him going.”
– Rob Thompson
And just like that, the Phillies skipper pulled me back in on a guy that I admittedly had given up for dead. Stranger things have happened than a formerly talented player rediscovering his groove as they age into their prime. At 28 years-old is it crazy to consider whether this could be the year that Kingery puts it all together ?
Just a quick word of warning however, as we should be careful to protect our fragile hearts. This isn’t the first time that someone at TheLibertyLine.com has asked the question whether it’s time to give Scottie once more chance.
Kingery’s chances seem even less likely considering that he hasn’t exactly been lighting the International League on fire over the last two seasons.
In 2021, all you need to know is that Kingery hit .189 with 5 RBI over 23 games at Lehigh Valley before shutting it down due to injuries. In 2022 Kingery was by all measurables an average player at the AAA level. His 7 home runs and 34 RBI over just 95 games is just respectable enough for the club and fans to maintain hope that at one point in the future he can provide value to the big club.
The good news for Kingery is that Vierling and Maton will play in Detroit in 2023 after being traded in exchange for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens. The bad news is that this Phillies team is a whole lot deeper than any of the teams he played on from 2018-2020.
There are likely only 2-3 roster spots up for grabs depending on how many pitchers manager Rob Thompson chooses to open the season with. But outside of Darick Hall who seems to be a good bet to make the team, the list of guys with more major league experience that Kingery is short.
Its also helpful to remember that just last season nobody expected former #1 pick Mickey Moniak to become the biggest story in spring by making the Opening Day roster. All it would take for Kingery to make this roster is a few hot weeks at the plate in the warmth of the Gulf Coast sunshine.
What does Philadelphia love more than an underdog story?
Dont blink..it’s #JetpaxSzn
Photo Credit: Radio.com
The Phils would be smart to give Kingery a lot of playing time the first couple weeks of Spring Training especially with Turner playing WBC, they temporarily put Stott back at SS.. Maybe Kingery gets hot like how he got that contract, he draws interest via a trade and even if the other team takes $100k off the $8mil they’re paying him this season, its like the adage ‘penny saved, penny earned’