The Philadelphia Phillies were once so positive about Scott Kingery’s potential that they signed him to a six-year, $24 million deal before he ever played one inning in Major League Baseball.
That potential never fully materialized.
Amazingly, Kingery is in the final year of that contract.
Manager Rob Thomson said this week that Kingery, as a non-roster invitee, will have a chance in spring training to prove his mettle.
“Scotty is a highly talented guy,” Thomson said this week to a small group of reporters at Citizens Bank Park. “He got a little sideways there for a little bit. Maybe we can get him back and get him going.”
After appearing in 273 games in 2018 and ’19, Kingery has totaled 52 games over the past three seasons.
Kingery proved to be valuable by playing six different positions in the field.
Along the way, he had shoulder surgery and had a difficult time with COVID during the 2020 season.
Playing mostly in the Minor Leagues over the past three seasons, Kingery has struggled to regain his stroke which was impressive as a young player.
This is a fresh start and a low-risk, high-reward type of situation for the Phillies.
If Kingery can find a way to come back from all of this adversity, he could be a valuable bench piece for Thomson.
It’s definitely worth exploring.
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