Scott Kingery excelled in the minors in 2017, slashing .304/.359/.530 with 26 home runs, 65 runs batted in, and 29 stolen bases in 132 games between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies felt confident enough in Kingery’s abilities to offer him a six-year contract extension, buying out his arbitration years. Early returns from that contract have been less than ideal.
Kingery started off the year in a super-utility role but quickly became the starting shortstop as injuries kept J.P. Crawford out of the lineup. In 147 games and 484 plate appearances, Kingery slashed just .