If you’re a baseball fan, you have to love Scott Kingery. The Phillies didn’t do him any favors by signing him to a big contract before he had even seen a pitch in the majors. The expectations grew exponentially for him the second he completed the “y” in Kingery on the contract. The pressure also grew. Now, a six-year, $24-million contract is chump change, but in 2018, especially for an untested player who was still a month away from his 24th birthday, it was a decent contract. Had things worked out for Kingery, the Phillies would have exercised the three option years and the upcoming season would be the final year of the contract. In all, the contract could have been worth $65-million over nine years.

Kingery had a decent 2018 season and then hit 19 home runs in 2019 with a .258/.315/.474/.788 slash line. The power numbers were a result of the Phillies – as they were apt to do back in those days – changing his swing to boost his launch angle. The Phillies did the same thing to Domonic Brown, who had a big first half of a season, made the all-star team, and still had the team wanting more home runs. Over the next three seasons, Kingery would play just 52 games with the Phillies with a line of 3-6-.144 and spent most of his time at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He didn’t return to the majors until last season when he played 19 games for the Angels and hit just .148/.207/.185/.392 before being sent back to Triple-A.

After again becoming a free agent, Kingery is again employed. The Chicago Cubs signed Kingery to a minor league contract for the 2026 season, giving him another shot at putting it all together. In the minors, Kingery hit 25 home runs for Lehigh Valley in 2024 with a .268/.316/.488/.804 slash line, but the Phillies never gave him a shot at time in the majors. He went into free agency and signed with the Angels. Last season in the minors, Kingery hit 7 home runs with a .242/.302/.425/.727 slash line. Consistency has remained elusive for the now 31-year-old who has learned to play positions other than second base. He has even spent some time in the outfield (all three positions) in the minors, in addition to shortstop, third base, and his usual second base position.

With the added versatility, Kingery would be a nice addition to a major league roster if he could find the swing that brings him decent, consistent major league numbers. With a nice, early payday, other players would have tired of long bus rides and minor league pay. They would have turned to coaching, broadcasting, or another position outside of baseball, but Kingery continues to fight for another chance.