Big contract before making an impact? The Cubs' Scott Kingery has been there

They would seem worlds apart. Cubs infielder Scott Kingery, No. 12 on your scorecard and 32 years old at the end of the month, has played just 74 games in the big leagues this decade, just three pinch-running appearances so far as a Cub. His big-league existence is day to day. He has spent almost all of the last three seasons in the minors.

In the other dugout, Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, the anointed one, 20 years old in a dozen days, a shortstop of considerable size (6-foot-3, 222 pounds), limitless potential, and almost unimaginable financial security for a player of his experience. Five days into his major-league career, Griffin signed a nine-year, $140 million contract, so confident are the Pirates that he is destined for stardom.

“He’s super talented,’’ said Jed Hoyer, the Cubs’ president of baseball operations. “Obviously, he was a guy we talked about in the draft, and he's had as fast a development path as I can ever remember. He's an exciting young star in the game, and it'll be fun to watch him in person.’’

Hoyer is not the only member of his family enchanted by Griffin. He said his kids went on the Pirates’ website, looking for gear.

“I think [the Pirates] just dropped their City Connect yesterday, and my kids were looking at it and his stuff, and it was sold out in almost every imaginable way,’’ Hoyer said. “It’s great for baseball to have young players like this, that people are so excited about.’’

You can look far and wide in the Wrigleyville souvenir shops, and you won’t find a Scott Kingery Cubs jersey. But it wasn’t so long ago, when Kingery was known as Scotty Jetpax, he was being favorably compared to former MVP and four-time All-Star Dustin Pedroia and was the toast of Philadelphia. Scott Kingery was judged a star in the making, even before he had played a single day in the big leagues.

At the end of spring training in 2018, the Phillies signed Kingery to a six-year, $24 million deal. He was 23 years old when he made a successful big-league debut, with two hits and a stolen base. He was on his way…until he wasn’t. His rookie season was a struggle, compounded by playing an unfamiliar position [shortstop instead of second base]. He rebounded in 2019 with his best season in the big leagues, posting a .788 OPS with 19 home runs, but was wiped out in the pandemic in 2020, contracting a virulent case of coronavirus.

When he struggled in spring training in 2021, he was demoted to Triple-A and the road back proved a hard one, complicated by ineffectiveness and a string of health issues, including season-ending shoulder surgery in 2021 that caused him to miss the start of the following season. In 2024, Scotty Jetpax was traded to the Angels, where he played just 19 games.

The Cubs signed him as a minor-league free agent last December.

In a quiet Cubs clubhouse the other morning, Kingery reflected on his experience of not meeting exalted expectations, the security that came with the contract and the pressures written into the fine print.

“I think at first people are going to be excited to get a look at the person who just signed the contract,’’ Kingery said. “If you go out on the field and ensure that you can play a little bit, I don’t think they think about the contract. For me, I think that came a little later.’’

The contract became a cudgel when Kingery struggled.

“I think a lot of people would look at it and say, you just signed a contract, you have guaranteed money,’’ he said. “No need to worry, just go and play baseball. For me, since I had never played in the big leagues, I think there was a little more pressure on myself to prove that I was worth what they just paid me, to live up to the contract and play up to the contract.

“But looking back on it, when I was on the field I wasn’t thinking about that. I was super excited, but at the same time it was like, ‘OK, they pay me for a reason, I want to go out in the field and show why.’’

For Connor Griffin, just as there once was for Scott Kingery, the line between dreams fulfilled and hopes dashed is a narrow one.

Cubs veteran second baseman Nico Hoerner, for one, believes the risk is worth it for the Pirates.

“We’ve seen players in the past that debut at a young age and go on to have amazing careers,’’ Hoerner said. “Obviously the organization has a ton of confidence in him, and his skill set is so impressive across all parts of the game, from defense to base running and power. He seems like an easy player to believe in overall.’’