Scott Kingery Impacts Games In Many Ways

Best Player: 2B Scott Kingery

The 23-year-old Kingery dazzled the Phillies with his play in big league camp and continued it through a season split between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

“No one in our system impacts the game in as many ways as he can,” director of player development Joe Jordan said. “He can go 0-for-4 and help you win.”

Kingery did not take too many oh-fers. In 132 games between the two levels, he hit .304/.359/.530 with 26 home runs, 29 doubles and 29 stolen bases in 34 attempts. The former Pacific-12 Conference MVP and batting champ at Arizona was a 2015 second-round pick.

Best Pitcher: RHP Tom Eshelman

Once a strike-throwing legend at Cal State Fullerton, Eshelman put himself in line to pitch in the majors next season with a strong season at Reading and Lehigh Valley. He went 13-3, 2.40 in 23 starts. In 150 innings he struck out 102 and walked just 18.

Like Kingery, Eshelman was a 2015 second-rounder pick. The Astros drafted him then traded him to the Phillies as part of the package for Ken Giles in December of that year. Vince Velasquez and Mark Appel, the headliners in that deal, have struggled with injury and ineffectiveness, but Eshelman, 23, keeps getting outs with command and pitching savvy.

“He’s the best at executing pitches in the system,” Jordan said. “He might not have the type of weapons that get you talked about a lot, but his stuff is plenty good to pitch in the major leagues. He’s got four or five pitches, and he can use them all. He’s great at reading swings. He’s smart enough to know when a hitter is sitting soft and elevate a fastball. It will look 94 (mph) when it might be 90 or 91.”

Keep An Eye On: LHP JoJo Romero

The 2016 fourth-rounder out of Yavapai (Ariz.) JC has emerged as an exciting pitching prospect. The 21-year-old lefthander went 10-3, 2.16 in 23 starts at low Class A Lakewood and high Class A Clearwater. He pitched 129 innings, struck out 128 and walked 36 while pitching to a 1.09 WHIP.

Romero’s four-seamer reaches 96 mph, and he features a power sinker at 93. He also throws a changeup and a cutter.

“When you put his combination of pitches together, it’s pretty impressive,” Jordan said. “He’s as good an athlete as we have on the mound. From start to the end, he was very consistent. He showed great feel at the end of the season for using what he had.”

Romero should be ready for a test in Double-A next season.