Angels acquire former top prospect from Phillies

The Angels have acquired infielder Scott Kingery from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both clubs. Kingery wasn’t on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster and won’t need to take a spot with the Angels.

Kingery, 31 in April, was once a highly-touted prospect. The Phils had enough confidence in his future to sign him to a long-term extension before making his major league debut. In March 2018, the Phils gave Kingery a $24M guarantee covering the 2018-2023 seasons, with three club options.

Unfortunately, Kingery couldn’t live up to his prospect billing or that contract. He can steal a few bases and play defense all over the diamond, but he hasn’t hit enough to be a useful big leaguer. He has a batting line of just .229/.280/.387 in 1,127 plate appearances in the majors.

The Phils outrighted him off their roster in both 2021 and 2022, with no club willing to grab the remainder of the contract off waivers. He had surpassed three years of service time and had the right to elect free agency instead of accepting those outright assignments. However, since he was under the five-year service mark, walking away would have involved leaving the remainder of his contract on the table. Naturally, he reported to the minors and continued playing out the rest of his deal. The Phils turned down his ’24 club option, but he also stayed in the organization.

Though the contract was a bust, Kingery wrapped up a solid season in the minors. He took 505 plate appearances for the IronPigs and hit 25 home runs. The offensive environment in the International League was quite strong this year, so his robust line of .268/.316/.488 was only marginally above the league average, translating to a wRC+ of 104.

Kingery stole 25 bases and continued bouncing around the diamond this year, playing second base, shortstop and center field. He has experience at third base and in the outfield corners.

He could perhaps be a useful player with those traits, even with some semi-competent offense. He hasn’t been able to do that in his major league career so far, but it’s a low-risk move for the Angels, as Kingery isn’t even taking up a roster spot for now.

The Angels have a few question marks in their position player mix. Luis Rengifo projects as the top second base option, but his 2024 was ended by wrist surgery. Even if he returns healthy, he might need to bounce to other positions. Third baseman Anthony Rendon has been highly injury-prone recently, and Rengifo has often had to cover the hot corner. Mike Trout has also recently missed significant time in center field and might get moved to a corner or into the designated hitter spot with more frequency going forward.

Kingery can give them some extra minor-league depth all over the diamond. He will try to earn a roster spot and the opportunity for a post-hype breakout.