# 2: Scott Kingery
You can say that Scott Kingery’s rookie season has been a slow learning curve. He has appeared in 80 out of a possible 84 games and has primarily spent time at both third base and shortstop. At the plate, there have been some definite struggles.
On the season, Kingery’s slash line is not pretty, at .224/.272/.335. That has to improve. We know it, Gabe Kapler knows it, and Kingery obviously knows it. Scott has 64 hits, 24 RBI, four home runs, has struck out 72 times, and has walked just 17 times.
One major reason for his struggles at the plate is the amount of 0-2 counts he seems to find himself in. Scott has been in forty-six 0-2 counts this year, the most on the team. He has five hits in those forty-six at bats and has struck out twenty-five times. When you watch him play, it is a trend that you notice pretty quickly.
The good news is that Kingery may be finding his swing at the right time. He has hit .327 in his last fifteen games, and he has been making much stronger contact. It would be great to see Kingery really break out at the plate over the second half of the season.
Scott’s offense isn’t the only thing causing concern among some fans. He has also had some trouble in the field this year, as he is tied for second on the club with seven errors. His fielding percentage of .970 needs to improve and he has a Range Factor of 2.75.
The better fielders tend to have a Range Factor between four and six.
Hopefully, these are fixable issues and Scott can turn into the fielder that we need. He is part of a promising young core of homegrown Phillies, and he has a chance to stick around for a long time if he can work through these early troubles.