Philllies Send Scott Kingery to Center Field on Saturday
"Let's play two", Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks once famously said. On Saturday the Phillies will indeed play two. However half of the club will head to Bradenton to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The other half will stay in Clearwater at Spectrum Field to face the Baltimore Orioles. Today will feature something the Phillies organization has never seen: Phillies prospect Scott Kingery in center field.
Down in Bradenton, Kingery will lead off and play center field for a Phillies traveling team that features only Aaron Altherr from those who figure to have starting roles with the Phillies. That lineup will look like this:
- Scott Kingery, CF
- Andrew Knapp, C
- Tommy Joseph, DH
- Aaron Altherr, RF
- Pedro Florimon, SS
- Dylan Cozens, LF
- Jesmuel Valentin, 2B
- Eliezer Alvarez, 3B
- Matt McBride, 1B
In Bradenton, Ben Lively will start for the Phillies.
Kingery walked on at the University of Arizona as an outfielder. He switched to second base his junior year and has played there ever since. It is the first time in the Phillies organization he will play the outfield.
In Clearwater, we might be looking at what might be the Phillies starting lineup for the first time. Thanks to the addition of the designated hitter, Collin Cowgill will start among Phillies starters while Odubel Herrera serves as DH as he rests his ailing shoulder.
- Cesar Hernandez, 2B
- Rhys Hoskins, LF
- Odubel Herrera, DH
- Carlos Santana, 1B
- Nick Williams, RF
- Maikel Franco, 3B
- Jorge Alfaro, C
- Collin Cowgill, CF
- J.P. Crawford, SS
The Phillies will send Tom Eshelman to the hill to start with this group.
Kevin Gausman will pitch for the Orioles against the Phillies. Gausman changed his uniform number to 34 this offseason to honor the late Roy Halladay. Gausman grew up about 30 minutes from Halladay's home town in Colorado and admired Halladay.