MESA, Ariz. — Scott Kingery isn’t dwelling on the past.
Once one of the top-rated prospects in baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies, the 31-year-old infielder is in Chicago Cubs camp looking to reestablish himself in the majors. Kingery split time between Triple A and the Los Angeles Angels last season, getting his first taste of the majors in more than three years.
“As weird as it was for me to leave someplace that I’ve been for nine years, I think it helped me kind of get into a little bit of an uncomfortable spot where I had to just be like, all right, I’ve got something to prove to go out there and show these fresh eyes what I can do on a baseball field,” Kingery told the Tribune on Saturday.
Photos: An inside look at Chicago Cubs spring training
Kingery’s time in Philadelphia didn’t play out like either side envisioned when the then-top-40 prospect signed a six-year, $24 million contract extension in March 2018 before he had played an inning in the majors. After struggling his rookie season, Kingery bounced back in 2019 with 34 doubles, 19 home runs, a 101 OPS+ and 2.7 bWAR. It would be the best season of his big-league career. Struggles in the shortened 2020 season and limited action in 2021-22 (16 games and 19 total at-bats) ultimately would be his last with the Phillies.
“I feel like it was something different every year, to be honest,” Kingery said of the adversity. “I felt like there were some times where there was uncertainty for me, like, I wasn’t sure how the Phillies viewed me anymore or what their plan was for me. So in those moments, I feel like the only thing I could have done was put yourself in the best spot that you can to get called up. Maybe someone calls about a trade or something. Put yourself in a good situation.”
Kingery doesn’t have a great path to making the team out of spring training unless an injury pops up among Cubs starting infielders. But he understood that when he signed his minor-league deal with the organization in the offseason.
“It might not be right away, but if I can just go and put my best foot forward and play to my ability, I think I can put myself in a good spot,” Kingery said.
Manager Craig Counsell took note of how Kingery put up a career-best 2019 season with the Phillies at a young age.
“It’s a sign that it’s in there,” Counsell said. “Offensively he’s struggled a little bit here, but because of (that standout season) and his defensive versatility and value — and it’s a spot we’re a little light at, frankly — there’s an opportunity there. Probably not out of camp, but things happen.
“An important player from that perspective, so try to get him off to a good start offensively and see where we’re at.”
Justin Dean eager to carve out big-league role
Winning a World Series title in your first big-league season will be hard to top for Dean.
The outfielder, 29, earned a call-up in August with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was used largely as a defensive replacement, logging only two at-bats in 18 regular-season game appearances. But he showed the type of speed and defense in center field to also fill that role during the Dodgers’ postseason run. The Dodgers’ confidence in Dean carried into the playoffs — he appeared in 13 games, including three in the World Series. He was in center field at the end of Games 6 and 7 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“To have it happen and to be there and get the outcome that we got, I’m super grateful and not satisfied, definitely one another, but I can say that I’ve seen the biggest stage, and I’m really happy about it,” Dean said. “It was dope to be a part of it — it was a movie, honestly, that’s how I describe. It felt like being a part of a movie. But I’m just trying to trust my instincts and trust the game, the thousands, millions of reps that I’ve taken over the course of this game and trusting the work that I put in, and trusting that I was ready to be in those situations.”
Dean knows his glove and speed are his two best attributes, but he hopes to showcase through the rest of spring that he can handle the bat, too, and not solely be a defense-only player. Dean is in the mix for a bench spot out of camp, though he still has a minor-league option, which could set him up to open the year at Triple A and provide the Cubs outfield depth.
“I know that the business is the business, things can change at the drop of a hat,” Dean said. “So just trying to navigate all that and still trying to get my work in, plan to be playing here. Baseball is baseball regardless of whatever shirt I’m wearing.”
Injury updates
Jonathon Long’s left elbow sprain hasn’t been progressing as the Cubs hoped. Long suffered the injury Feb. 21 on a collision at first base as he attempted to catch a throw that pulled him into the basepath.
The Cubs plan to give Long through the weekend to see how his elbow feels, but if there continues to be little-to-no improvement, Long will likely undergo further testing. The 24-year-old had a potential path to forcing his way onto the roster in a bench role, which now feels unlikely given the injury sidelining him for the last two weeks.
Left-hander Jordan Wicks (forearm inflammation) has been playing catch and will be in that mode for “a while,” Counsell said this week. Counsell didn’t have a timeframe for when Wicks might throw off a mound.
