Philadelphia Phillies trade Scott Kingery to Los Angeles Angels
Scott Kingery's time with the Philadelphia Phillies is over after nearly a decade in the organization. The Phillies traded Kingery to the Los Angeles Angels on Friday for cash considerations.
Kingery, 30, last played in the majors with the Phillies in 2022, but the club's former top prospect has spent most of the past four seasons playing for their Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Last season, Kingery hit .268/.316/.488 with 25 home runs and 67 RBIs for the IronPigs.
The Phillies drafted Kingery in the second round of the 2015 MLB draft out of the University of Arizona. Kingery eventually rose atop the club's prospect rankings and even signed a six-year contract in 2018 before ever playing in the majors.
Kingery was invited to spring training in 2018 and did enough to convince Philadelphia to put him on the opening-day roster. Despite sticking with the Phillies, Kingery was overmatched and arguably misused by manager Gabe Kapler in his rookie season. He hit .226 with a .605 OPS and 126 strikeouts in 147 games in 2018, but the natural second baseman was also used in a utility role.
In 2019, Kingery was slightly improved — .788 OPS and 101 OPS+ in 126 games — but COVID-19 and injuries derailed the 2020-shortened season. Kingery hit .159 with 35 strikeouts in 36 games in 2020.
Kingery struggled in spring training in 2021, and the Phils sent him to Triple-A. He played in 15 games for the Phillies in 2021 and then one in 2022.
