Phillies silently trade forgotten former top prospect after Triple-A bounceback

We're barely into the official start of the offseason but the trades are already happening. The Los Angeles Angels have already been busy, making a deal with the Atlanta Braves on the first day of the offseason on Thursday, trading pitcher Griffin Canning for outfielder Jorge Soler. Now they're back at it again, this time with the Philadelphia Phillies as their dance partner.

The Phillies, in their first deal of the offseason on Friday afternoon, announced that they traded infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery, 30, to the Angels for the ever-popular cash considerations. Kingery had a tumultuous career since being drafted in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft but put up strong numbers in Triple-A this past season.

Phillies silently trade forgotten former top prospect Scott Kingery after Triple-A bounceback

The Phillies declined Kingery's $13 million option on his contract last offseason. Many initially thought he was done with the team at that time, but the contract reverted back to his original minor league deal. He spent the 2024 season playing for Lehigh Valley in Triple-A, where he hit .268 with an .804 OPS, putting up 25 home runs and 25 steals, but was never added to the 40-man roster.

Kingery was once considered a top prospect, ranking as the team's No. 2 prospect in 2018 when the Phillies signed the then 23-year-old to a six-year, $24 million deal in March of that year — before he had ever played a single inning in the majors.

The contract came on the heels of a monster minor league season in 2017, split between Double- and Triple-A. Kingery hit .304 with an .889 OPS, with 26 home runs, 65 RBI, 103 runs scored and 29 stolen bases in 34 attempts. Nicknamed "Scotty Jetpacks" for his well-known speed, he vaulted up the MLB Pipeline Top 100 to No. 35.

Unfortunately, for Kingery and the Phillies, the contract turned out to be a huge mistake, as he was never able to replicate that kind of production in the majors despite a strong first half after making his MLB debut in 2018. He finished his debut season slashing .226/.267/.338 with eight home runs, 35 RBI, 55 runs scored and just 10 stolen bases in 147 games.

He played 126 games in 2019, hitting .258 with 26 home runs and 15 stolen bases, but he was never the savior the Phillies were hoping for. He played 36 games in the shortened 2020 season, 15 in 2021 and appeared in just one contest in 2022. He finishes his Phillies career with a .229/.280/.387 slash line, 30 home runs, 96 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 325 MLB games.