The Philadelphia Phillies are continuing to lock in their future core, signing one of their top prospects to a long term extension.
The rebuild is coming to an end for the Philadelphia Phillies. In signing players like Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta this offseason, the Phillies are showing their confidence in the future of the franchise. The next step will be finding those internal options to sign to extensions, locking in the future core for the foreseeable future.
That future core is starting to fall into place. After announcing that prospect Scott Kingery has made the Opening Day roster, the Phillies signed the young second baseman to a six year extension, including team options from 2024 through 2026. The deal is believed to be worth $24 million guaranteed, a very team friendly deal should Kingery develop as expected.
Phillies have signed Scott Kingery to a six-year deal through 2023 that includes club options for 2024-26. Extends control by three seasons. He'll open the year with the team.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 25, 2018
Of course, there are risks with such a deal. Kingery only developed into a top prospect this past season, cracking the top 100 list for the first time. He also has just 286 plate appearances above AA, making his promotion to the majors all the more aggressive. However, his production during Spring Training, where he has a .392/.415/.725 batting line, with four homers and four steals, helps add to the optimism that he can handle major league pitching.
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That optimism is further enhanced by his performance last year. In what was a breakout campaign, Kingery exploded as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, let along amongst second basemen. Between AA and AAA last season, Kingery produced a .304/.359/.530 batting line, hitting 26 homers and stealing 29 bases.
Kingery had displayed excellent speed in the minors during his career, stealing 70 bases over his three seasons as a professional. However, that power was a surprise, as he had just eight total homers in his first two seasons. There were hints that the power could be there after Kingery hit 36 doubles in 2016, but this sudden ascension was unexpected. If his power can carry over to the major league level, the Phillies may have a bargain.
This extension also has an interesting ripple effect in Philadelphia. Cesar Hernandez has emerged as a quality second baseman over the past couple of years, producing a .294/.372/.406 batting line with 15 homers and 32 steals since 2016. However, Hernandez does have experience at short and third, which is especially important given the Phillies uncertainty about Maikel Franco. Kingery has also been mentioned as a possible super utility player, giving Philadelphia plenty of options around the diamond.
Next: Are the Phillies young guns ready?
The Philadelphia Phillies are starting to put together their future core. With a six year extension, and three team options, they are counting on Scott Kingery to be part of that equation.