Phillies Big Breakout Prospect Continues Torrid Season
Triple-A: Don't look now, but former Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Scott Kingery has begun to find his footing at the Triple-A level.
It's been a hard season for Kingery. Across 87 games at the Triple-A level this year, he's posted a .225 average with a .365 slugging percentage. On top of his overall struggles, the utilityman has only managed seven home runs on the year and hasn't exactly hit the ball hard in his time with the IronPigs.
However, there is one interesting improvement to note within the 28-year-old's game: he's been much more careful with his pitch selection. Kingery has managed a .349 on-base percentage in 2022, and over his last three months of play has walked 33 times to 58 strikeouts.
Perhaps this is an effect of simply swinging less, but it would be interesting to see Kingery develop any semblance of plate discipline.
Double-A: Carlos De La Cruz is hands down the Phillies' biggest breakout position player prospect of the season.
His development has shocked evaluators, and continued to do so on Sunday, when the six-foot-eight goliath smashed two doubles for Reading. He both drove in and scored two runs.
He is still striking out a boatload, but the big-bodied outfielder has begun to make much more meaningful contact, which he was never really expected to do.
In 38 games with Reading, 'CDLC' has hit .278 with a .510 slugging percentage, which has amounted to an excellent .271/.333/.482 slash across his season as a whole.
Watching his breakout unfold has truly been a spectacle.
Minor League Scoreboard:
Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Rochester Red Wings: L 12-2
RHP Griff McGarry - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Francisco Morales - 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Reading Fightin' Phillies vs. Altoona Curve: W 9-8
OF Johan Rojas - 1-for-5, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI
OF Jhailyn Ortiz - 2-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
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