Scott Kingery has played seven positions in his two seasons as a Philadelphia Phillie. He has made appearances at shortstop, second base, third base, left field, center field, right field and even pitched in one game, putting his own spin on what could be defined as the “super-utility” role.
However, new manager Joe Girardi may have different plans for the 25-year-old going forward.
Girardi voiced his preference to have Kingery stick with one defensive position as opposed to moving all over the diamond during the Baseballtown Caravan at the Crowne Plaza Reading on Tuesday. He was asked about Kingery by a fan during a question and answer session, prompting the manager to say that a set position could be what is best for the player.
Girardi went on to say that he still does not know what that position will be for Kingery come Opening Day. With the addition of Didi Gregorius, shortstop seems to be locked up. The departures of Maikel Franco and César Hernández, along with Brad Miller remaining unsigned, mean that second and third base remain open spots in the lineup. It is likely that Kingery and last season’s shortstop Jean Segura will be the Opening Day second baseman and third baseman, but it is still not clear who will play where.
In an interview on the SportsRadio 94 WIP Morning Show on Thursday, Girardi spoke about finding the right positions for both Kingery and Segura. He noted that they will need to find the positions that make the infield the best as a whole versus making a certain player most comfortable.
“We’re going to kind of do some trial and error in Spring Training and see what our best infield is,” he said. “…It’s the sum of all the parts together that I’m most concerned about.”
While Kingery may not know exactly where he will be playing in the field this season, it looks like he can expect to be in one spot consistently. Girardi wants Kingery to know exactly where he will be every day in hopes that he can find more consistency offensively.
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