Phillies: Scott Kingery’s improvement showcased by playing his way

Phillies super-utility man Scott Kingery has improved leaps and bounds from 2018. The biggest difference? He is playing the game his way.

Phillies super-utility man Scott Kingery has improved leaps and bounds over his 2018 season. While last year was his first year in the majors, there is one noticeable difference in his game this year.

That difference? He stopped trying to be a power hitter. He is playing a style that suits him better.

Some fans may argue that Kingery is more aggressive as a hitter this year, and that is why his offensive numbers have improved so much. But that isn’t necessarily the case. Per Fox Sports, Scotty saw 4.06 pitches per plate appearance (PPA) in 2018. This year? He has a PPA of 4.04.

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The minuscule difference may surprise some, especially given that the eye test makes him look like a completely different baseball player. Entering play Saturday, his OPS has made a 217-point jump over last year’s. He has 20 doubles, 13 home runs, 32 RBI, 21 walks, and 140 total bases in 77 games. Last year, in 147 games, he had 23 doubles, eight home runs, 35 RBI, 24 walks, and 153 total bases.

That’s a significant improvement, save for the home runs, which are up astronomically across the majors. The hitting game is coming more naturally to him, and fans can tell that he is not actively trying to be a power hitter and is playing the game his way.

Kingery’s fielding has been slightly better this year, but there is still room to improve. He had a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) of -8 across six positions last year and a DRS of -2 this year. An improvement, nonetheless. However, he is being forced to play out-of-position and should be given a lot of credit.

Overall, his wins-above-replacement (WAR) has jumped from -1.3 last season to 1.5 this year.

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Next year, the Phillies should try to find a way to get Kingery back to his natural position at second base. That would make him both a better hitter (more consistency) and a better fielder (more familiarity). Even if that means finally cutting bait with Cesar Hernandez in an addition-by-subtraction move via either trade or refraining from offering him a contract by the tender deadline, it would likely be in the Phillies’ favor to do so.

This would make the most sense if the Phillies believe that Adam Haseley can play every day, Andrew McCutchen will come back healthy and ready to play, and if highly touted prospect Alec Bohm makes a quick leap to the majors and takes over Maikel Franco’s spot at third base.

While the final portion of that remains to be seen, fans should root for a quick ascension to the majors for Bohm. It would give the team a low-cost, high-production player that would allow Phillies brass to spend their free-agency dollars elsewhere.

Kingery is in the second year of a six-year, $24 million contract that pays him $1.5 million in 2019, $1.75 million in 2020, $4.25 million in 2021, $6.25 million in 2022, and $8.25 million in 2023. The Phillies have three team options, each worth $13 million, $14 million, and $15 million that would extend their team control to the end of the 2026 season.

All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are provided via baseballreference.com.