Phillies: 3 Options to Play at Shortstop Next Season
By David Esser
Scotty for Shortstop: Scott Kingery
Despite the general consensus being that Scott Kingery has Gold Glove potential at second base, many forget that he’s actually played a majority of his career innings at the shortstop position (49.1% to be exact). Given his hyper-utility role he was used at last season, it’s very possible he could find himself as the everyday SS next year if no outside help is brought in.
Although the least exciting of the three options mentioned, the ability to slot in someone already on the roster to replace Segura has to be enticing to Girardi. Similar to the third base spot (check out my article on potential offseason moves for that lineup spot: here), Kingery can provide above average defense and offense at the SS position.
Scotty “Jetpax” slashed .258/.315/.474 while knocking in 19 HRs, 34 doubles and 55 RBIs, all career highs. His .788 OPS ranked fourth on the team and his slugging percentage ranked third.
It’s obvious he’s a must have on the offensive side of things, but his defense was more than adequate at the SS spot as well. In the 887 innings he played there in 2018, Kingery recorded a fielding percentage of .973, a rate which scored slightly higher than Segura did in 2019.
Not only is Kingery a younger and more athletic player than Segura, but he’s simply a better hitter while also having the potential to eclipse Segura on defense. If Segura is in fact shipped out this offseason and neither Lindor nor Gregorious are brought in to replace him, playing Kingery at SS is the next best thing.