Phillies: Scott Kingery heading into make-or-break season

This coming season might be the last chance for Scott Kingery with the Philadelphia Phillies. He has played out half of his contract before a buyout becomes available before the 2024 season. So far, the results have not been what fans had hoped. Kingery has had some tough circumstances, but there were big expectations for him in the big leagues.

When the team signed Kingery to a six-year deal right before the 2018 season, it felt like the start of something special. It still could be, but he needs to perform at a high level in 2021. Most fans gave him a pass in 2018, after he slashed .226/.267/.338 amid a rookie year with inconsistent playing time. Yet, it was still a bit disappointing.

In 2019, we got a glimpse of Kingery’s true potential. At the All-Star break, he had 28 extra-base hits, 31 runs scored, and a .545 slugging percentage. That didn’t last. In the second half, pitchers quickly caught onto his weaknesses, and Kingery had too many poor quality swings down the stretch. He looked like a rookie once again. September was especially bad — .191/.232/.393 with 17 strikeouts in 42 at-bats. The Phoenix, Arizona, native finished with the 20th-most strikeouts in the National League, 147.

Unfortunately, Kingery got COVID-19 prior to the 2020 season and it was pretty bad. It’s not easy to get back into the swing of things after that, especially with conditioning. The numbers in his 36 games played were ugly. Kingery posted just 18 total hits in 113 at-bats. We all witnessed it. This was another rough season for the 26-year-old. The virus might have affected it, but fans are growing impatient based upon overall production from his first three seasons.