Phillies prospect Scott Kingery off to another hot start in spring training

For the second year in a row, Phillies prospect Scott Kingery is off to another hot start in spring training, lighting up the Grapefruit League.

There may not be a more exciting Phillies prospect right now than Scott Kingery. The 2015 second-round pick exploded offensively last year and is expected to reach the majors at some point this season.

Once again, Kingery is making waves in spring training. After impressing in his first major-league camp last year, he is back at it again this season.

Through his first four games in spring training, Kingery has already blasted two home runs, including a game-tying shot Monday night against the Yankees. In a ridiculously small sample size, Kingery has a .444/.500/1.111 line.

Manager Gabe Kapler has not only been impressed with how Kingery has played, but also his consistent effort no matter the situation: [quote via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com]

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"“I think if he was thinking about making the team, if he had no pressure on him, if he was in Double-A, if he was in the World Series, you’d see the same thing out of Scott Kingery,” Kapler said. “The same exact approach to the game. The talent would still shine. He’s just got that unique special makeup that you don’t find very often. I do think he’s a smart kid and he understands a lot of what’s going on around him. Nothing discourages him.”"

Despite Kingery’s strong start to the spring, the odds he actually starts the year in the majors are slim to none. Cesar Hernandez, whom the club is a huge fan of, is firmly entrenched ahead of him on the organizational depth chart at second. Instead, he will use this spring and time in Triple-A to become proficient at other positions in the infield. Kapler said Kingery will also see some time in center field.

Kingery also said he wants to use his time in the minors to improve his approach at the plate, avoiding becoming a free swinger. He also said he wants to be more aggressive on the basepaths, saying 45 stolen bases a year is “reasonable” for him.

Of course, another significant reason why Kingery will remain in the minors is to delay when he hits arbitration. A loophole in the service time rules for arbitration allow a team to gain an extra year of control before a player hits free agency by keeping him in the minors up until a few weeks into the season (this year, that date is April 13).

Surprisingly, Kingery remains positive about the situation, saying he will use the time to brush up his game before he is promoted: [quote via Matt Breen of Philly.com]

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"“I understand, you have the business side of it, how it works where [the team gets] an extra year of control,” Kingery said after the Phillies fell to Toronto, 7-1. “I understand all that stuff. Obviously, I’ll never think negatively about that. I’ll try to think positively and say I’ll get my time in the minors, where I ended the year. I had some struggles a little bit toward the end, so why not go there and fine-tune them for a little while and see if I can get better at that so I can be even better and bring that with me for when I finally do get called up.”"

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It should be noted that Kingery’s numbers so far this spring have come against pitchers who played in High-A or Double-A last year according to Baseball Reference’s Opponent Quality metric. How he performs when facing major-league pitchers in spring and when he is in Lehigh Valley should give a better indication of when he is ready to come to Philadelphia.