Breaking: Phillies Trade Away Former Highly Touted Prospect to…
The Philadelphia Phillies announced that they have traded infielder Scott Kingery to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations.
Kingery spent the 2024 season in the Phillies’ triple-A affiliate the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He recorded 25 home runs, 67 RBI and registered a .804 OPS. Defensively, he played most of the season as a shortstop.
Kingery was poised for greatness when he made his major league debut with the Phillies in 2018, three years after the team selected him in the second round of the draft in 2015. He entered the league as the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect and would sign a six-year, $24M contract a few days before his debut. In his rookie season, he only tallied eight home runs and 35 RBI. Kingery finished with a batting average of .226.
He improved slightly in 2019 as he tallied 19 home runs and 55 home runs in 458 at-bats. His batting average was .258. However, this would be the last time the Phillies would get a look at him in the majors.
Injuries slowed his progress down in the 2020 season, as he would only register a .511 OPS in 113 at-bats. Kingery underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in 2021 after going one for 19 with 12 strikeouts. Since then, he has only played in one major league game.
The Angels have traded for a player who has played multiple positions throughout his career. Kingery played 65 games in center field in 2019 but has mostly spent most of his career at shortstop and second base.
Kingery should be able to provide the Angels with flexibility and pop. However, his swing and misses may be a problem. Since the beginning of the 2023 season, he has a 28.1% strikeout rate.
Kingery has club options for 2025 and 2026, even though the guaranteed portion of the contract has expired.
