River Bandit Kingrey brings down walls
Before signing a professional baseball contract, Quad-Cities River Bandits outfielder Charlie Kingrey hit the wall.
Literally, he hit the wall.
With three weeks remaining in his college career at McNeese State, a collision with an outfield wall while trying to make a catch left Kingrey with a broken wrist and plenty of questions about his future.
Suddenly, the .360 hitter and first-team all-Southland Conference selection who had collected 15 homers and 47 RBIs found himself out of the lineup and on the mend.
“I didn’t know how that would impact things in the draft. All I knew was that I wasn’t on the field which is where I wanted to be,” Kingrey said.
St. Louis selected Kingrey in the 22nd round of last June’s draft, well before he was able to return to competition.
“I had never been hurt playing baseball before, so it was different. After surgery, I dealt with the rehab process, and I struggled a bit with that. I wasn’t comfortable with that at all, but it’s part of the deal,” Kingrey said.
“The chance to get back out there motivated me, even if it was for just a few games.’’
Kingrey played in nine games last season for the Cardinals’ Gulf Coast League team, batting .150 in a limited number of plate appearances.
“I pretty much see this year as my first year,’’ Kingrey said. “This is what I’ve prepared for and worked toward and now that I’m healthy, I’m able to do the things I’m capable of doing.”
He’s doing most of those things well.
His batting average of .311 ranks second among lineup regulars who have spent the majority of the season with Quad-Cities and he ranks fourth in the Midwest League with 10 doubles.
Kingrey soaked up as much knowledge as he could during his first spring training experience, watching and listening as he found himself in the batting cages with veteran players in the Cardinals organization.
“Spring training was everything I thought it would be and more. To be able to be around and watch the big-league guys as they work in the (batting) cages, you can learn so much,’’ Kingrey said.
“When you have a big-league manager with the resume of a Tony LaRussa and a hitter who is the best in the game in (Albert) Pujols, there is a lot you can learn by just being there.’’
That didn’t necessarily translate into a quick start for the Lake Charles, La., native when he arrived in the Quad-Cities.
Kingrey simultaneously experienced frigid early-April weather and a 1-for-12 start to the season at the plate.
Those numbers are a memory now. Hitting safely in 11 of 12 games from April 18 to May 2, Kingrey hit .396 with six doubles, two home runs and six multi-hit games during that stretch to improve his numbers.
“I’m seeing the ball so much better now. That was the thing that took the longest to come back after being off for so long,’’ Kingrey said. “Even going into spring, I wasn’t seeing the ball in the box the way I had been, but that has changed.
“I think some of it is just being out there on a daily basis, getting back into the routine. I feel comfortable now and while I know I can do even better, things are going better.’’
Kingrey typically finds himself in the third or fourth spot on River Bandits manager Steve Dillard’s lineup card, a position which forces a level of concentration and execution that Kingrey strives for on a daily basis.
“I’m seeing a lot of off-speed pitches and guys mixing stuff in and out on me and that’s great because it’s forcing me to adjust,” Kingrey said.
“That’s the name of the game at this point, how well and how quickly I can adjust to what I’m seeing and so far, things have been going about as well as I could have hoped. It’s been a good start.”
By Steve Batterson
QUAD-CITY TIMES
Before signing a professional baseball contract, Quad-Cities River Bandits outfielder Charlie Kingrey hit the wall.
Literally, he hit the wall.
With three weeks remaining in his college career at McNeese State, a collision with an outfield wall while trying to make a catch left Kingrey with a broken wrist and plenty of questions about his future.
Suddenly, the .360 hitter and first-team all-Southland Conference selection who had collected 15 homers and 47 RBIs found himself out of the lineup and on the mend.
“I didn’t know how that would impact things in the draft. All I knew was that I wasn’t on the field which is where I wanted to be,” Kingrey said.
St. Louis selected Kingrey in the 22nd round of last June’s draft, well before he was able to return to competition.
“I had never been hurt playing baseball before, so it was different. After surgery, I dealt with the rehab process, and I struggled a bit with that. I wasn’t comfortable with that at all, but it’s part of the deal,” Kingrey said.
“The chance to get back out there motivated me, even if it was for just a few games.’’
Kingrey played in nine games last season for the Cardinals’ Gulf Coast League team, batting .150 in a limited number of plate appearances.
“I pretty much see this year as my first year,’’ Kingrey said. “This is what I’ve prepared for and worked toward and now that I’m healthy, I’m able to do the things I’m capable of doing.”
He’s doing most of those things well.
His batting average of .311 ranks second among lineup regulars who have spent the majority of the season with Quad-Cities and he ranks fourth in the Midwest League with 10 doubles.
Kingrey soaked up as much knowledge as he could during his first spring training experience, watching and listening as he found himself in the batting cages with veteran players in the Cardinals organization.
“Spring training was everything I thought it would be and more. To be able to be around and watch the big-league guys as they work in the (batting) cages, you can learn so much,’’ Kingrey said.
“When you have a big-league manager with the resume of a Tony LaRussa and a hitter who is the best in the game in (Albert) Pujols, there is a lot you can learn by just being there.’’
That didn’t necessarily translate into a quick start for the Lake Charles, La., native when he arrived in the Quad-Cities.
Kingrey simultaneously experienced frigid early-April weather and a 1-for-12 start to the season at the plate.
Those numbers are a memory now. Hitting safely in 11 of 12 games from April 18 to May 2, Kingrey hit .396 with six doubles, two home runs and six multi-hit games during that stretch to improve his numbers.
“I’m seeing the ball so much better now. That was the thing that took the longest to come back after being off for so long,’’ Kingrey said. “Even going into spring, I wasn’t seeing the ball in the box the way I had been, but that has changed.
“I think some of it is just being out there on a daily basis, getting back into the routine. I feel comfortable now and while I know I can do even better, things are going better.’’
Kingrey typically finds himself in the third or fourth spot on River Bandits manager Steve Dillard’s lineup card, a position which forces a level of concentration and execution that Kingrey strives for on a daily basis.
“I’m seeing a lot of off-speed pitches and guys mixing stuff in and out on me and that’s great because it’s forcing me to adjust,” Kingrey said.
“That’s the name of the game at this point, how well and how quickly I can adjust to what I’m seeing and so far, things have been going about as well as I could have hoped. It’s been a good start.”
Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
By the numbers
Career statistics for Quad-Cities outfielder Charlie Kingrey:
Year Team Avg. 2B 3B HR RBI
2007 Gulf Coast .150 0 0 0 3
2008 Quad-Cities .311 2 0 2 17
Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.