Sports

Scott Kingery Could Be The Phillies Lone All-Star In 2019

Scott Kingery looks to be in the midst of a breakout season. But no one could've guessed he'd be the best player on the Phillies roster.

Scott Kingery, pictured above, legs out a triple against the Diamondbacks on June 10.
Scott Kingery, pictured above, legs out a triple against the Diamondbacks on June 10. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

It's a situation that would've been impossible to conceive on Opening Day, but superutility man Scott Kingery could very well be the first-place Phillies lone representative to the 2019 MLB All-Star game.

After a rough rookie year in 2018, the 25-year-old has been on fire in 2019, including hitting two home runs and a triple on Monday night and adding another homer early on in Tuesday night's game.

The potential was always there for Kingery, who has long had the confidence of the Phillies front office. A second round draft pick out of college in 2015, he tore through the minor leagues before the Phillies signed him to a six year, $24 million contract extension last March — before he played a single game at the major league level.

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So it's not shocking, really, that Kingery is playing at an All-Star level. Rather, it's surpising that he could be the team's lone position player representative, because in addition to the team's returning All-Star, ace Aaron Nola, and slugger Rhys Hoskins, the team added three 2018 All-Stars this past offseason: Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto, and Bryce Harper.

And this is not to say those players are underperforming, though everyone knows Harper is capable of greater production. Rather, just like 2018, the Phillies find themselves in the unique situation of having a lot of good players, but none who are performing at the elite tier of their position. Other than Kingery.

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Though he did miss time due to an injury, Kingery's .330 batting average is fifth among all National League outfielders with at least 100 at-bats. And his monstrous 1.014 OPS trails only MVP hopefuls Christian Yelich and Cody Bellingers for third overall.

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball released the early returns on voting for the 2019 game, to be held July 9 in Cleveland. The new system includes a "primary" round of voting, which will continue through June 21 and for which fans can vote five times daily, will whittle the field down to three finalists for each position, along with nine outfielders. During the final round of voting, fans vote just once for their favorite in the narrowed field.

The Phillies have four players within striking range of the top three (or nine in the outfield):

  • Catcher: Realmuto, 3rd place
  • Second base: Cesar Hernandez, 4th place
  • Shortstop: Segura, 5th place
  • Outfield: Harper, 10th place

Even if those players advance to the final round, however, they trail the respective leaders by huge margins. And if they do not win, their statistics do not indicate they quite deserve to be selected as reserves.

Kingery, meanwhile, sitting in 19th place in the outfield voting (93,825 votes to Harper's 242,719), does deserve the honor. Alas, the All-Star game is not always about who deserves to go. Even the selection of the reserves, done by the Commissioner's Office, is influenced by player and fan voting, and by what the league thinks will make the best game. Harper was the face of baseball in the offseason, won the Home Run Derby in 2018, and brings fans to the stadium. He could be picked as a reserve for that reason alone.

Phillies pitchers who have a chance

Hector Neris, closer

Neris is only tied for eighth in the National League with 13 saves, but that statistic is rapidly losing its importance as bullpen usage shifts across baseball. Neris has been one of the National League's most effective relievers in 2019, posting a 1.95 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 27.2 innings.

Zach Eflin, starter

No one in baseball has done what Eflin has done in 2019. The ace of the Phillies staff this season has thrown two complete games already, to go along with a 2.88 ERA. Though he doesn't have the strikeout numbers and hasn't been as dominant in terms of hits allowed, Eflin has nonetheless been among the game's most effective starters this season. His 2.88 ERA is sixth in the National League.


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