Cooper Kinney

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #21 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme.
  
  Track Record: When healthy, Kinney shows the skills to be an everyday second baseman, but injury issues could derail him. A torn right labrum in his shoulder cost Kinney all of the 2022 season and an injury to the same shoulder sent him back to the injured list to end the 2024 season. Despite playing just 89 games, he still led the South Atlantic League in doubles (32) and finished among league leaders in multiple other categories.
  
  Scouting Report: As a sweet-swinging lefthanded hitter, Kinney has an advanced approach at the plate. He can set up pitchers and knows how to do damage when he gets ahead in counts. He will expand the zone more than is ideal, but he has enough barrel control to make it work. Defensively, he’s above-average at second and fringe-average at third. Kinney’s arm bounced back from his first injury to be playable, especially at second, but a second injury to his throwing shoulder raises concerns about how it will be post-injury.
  
  The Future: Kinney will play all of the 2025 season as a 22-year-old, and he’s ready for Double-A Montgomery. If he can put his shoulder injuries behind him, he’s an excellent prospect, but the concerns about his durability remain.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #16 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Rays like to collect all types of middle infielders. In the past five drafts, they have selected eight middle infielders in the top three rounds. Some, like Taylor Walls and Alika Williams, have great gloves. Kinney fits more in the Brandon Lowe camp as a bat-first middle infielder who will have to figure out a defensive home, but should hit enough to make it worth the effort. The South Carolina signee impressed in his brief pro debut, showing an extremely advanced batting eye in the Florida Complex League.
  
  Scouting Report: Most young hitters have to learn how to take pitchers’ pitches that end up just off the plate. Kinney already spits on those tantalizing sliders and fastballs away, forcing pitchers to come into the zone or give him a walk. His bat control, fluid swing and developing plus power give him a shot to be a well-rounded hitter. Depending on whether he focuses on contact or power, he could be a plus hitter or have plus power. Defensively, Kinney will have to stay on top of his conditioning and work on his flexibility to remain playable at second or third base. He is already a below-average runner and has below-average range, although he fields what’s hit to him. He has an average, accurate arm.
  
  The Future: The bat is the most important tool a position player can have, and Kinney has plenty of offensive potential. He’s ready for Low-A Charleston.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #69 prospect in 2021 draft
  Kinney is an offensive-oriented prep infielder with a strong, 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame and a lefthanded swing that scouts love. The hit tool and power projection are what evaluators are buying with Kinney, and he has a chance to be an above-average hitter with above-average power. However, he’s likely to be a bit of a split-camp player with a wider range of opinions given his lack of supplemental tools and the fact that he’s probably a better fit for second or third base in the long run. A team that drafts the South Carolina commit in a signable range will be one that is heavily convicted in his hit tool—and those teams are certainly out there. Kinney is more hit over power at the moment, with solid bat-to-ball skills and a fairly clean and fluid bat path out of a slightly crouched setup. He has shown the power to drive balls out to left-center field, and the scouts who really like him think he’ll be able to grow into plus power when he’s more physically mature. Kinney is a below-average runner and fringy defender, so there’s going to be plenty of pressure on his bat to perform and because of that some teams would prefer he proves it against SEC pitching, but others see him as a top-50 player in the class and want to get his bat into pro ball right away. Kinney’s father, Mike, is the head baseball coach at his high school.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record:: The Rays like to collect all types of middle infielders. In the past five drafts, they have selected eight middle infielders in the top three rounds. Some, like Taylor Walls and Alika Williams, have great gloves. Kinney fits more in the Brandon Lowe camp as a bat-first middle infielder who will have to figure out a defensive home, but should hit enough to make it worth the effort. The South Carolina signee impressed in his brief pro debut, showing an extremely advanced batting eye in the Florida Complex League.
  
  Scouting Report: Most young hitters have to learn how to take pitchers&#39 pitches that end up just off the plate. Kinney already spits on those tantalizing sliders and fastballs away, forcing pitchers to come into the zone or give him a walk. His bat control, fluid swing and developing plus power give him a shot to be a well-rounded hitter. Depending on whether he focuses on contact or power, he could be a plus hitter or have plus power. Defensively, Kinney will have to stay on top of his conditioning and work on his flexibility to remain playable at second or third base. He is already a below-average runner and has below-average range, although he fields what&#39s hit to him. He has an average, accurate arm.
  
  The Future: The bat is the most important tool a position player can have, and Kinney has plenty of offensive potential. He&#39s ready for Low-A Charleston.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Rays like to collect all types of middle infielders. In the past five drafts, they have selected eight middle infielders in the top three rounds. Some, like Taylor Walls and Alika Williams, have great gloves. Kinney fits more in the Brandon Lowe camp as a bat-first middle infielder who will have to figure out a defensive home, but should hit enough to make it worth the effort. The South Carolina signee impressed in his brief pro debut, showing an extremely advanced batting eye in the Florida Complex League.
  
  Scouting Report: Most young hitters have to learn how to take pitchers’ pitches that end up just off the plate. Kinney already spits on those tantalizing sliders and fastballs away, forcing pitchers to come into the zone or give him a walk. His bat control, fluid swing and developing plus power give him a shot to be a well-rounded hitter. Depending on whether he focuses on contact or power, he could be a plus hitter or have plus power. Defensively, Kinney will have to stay on top of his conditioning and work on his flexibility to remain playable at second or third base. He is already a below-average runner and has below-average range, although he fields what’s hit to him. He has an average, accurate arm.
  
  The Future: The bat is the most important tool a position player can have, and Kinney has plenty of offensive potential. He’s ready for Low-A Charleston.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Kinney is an offensive-oriented prep infielder with a strong, 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame and a lefthanded swing that scouts love. The hit tool and power projection are what evaluators are buying with Kinney, and he has a chance to be an above-average hitter with above-average power. However, he's likely to be a bit of a split-camp player with a wider range of opinions given his lack of supplemental tools and the fact that he's probably a better fit for second or third base in the long run. A team that drafts the South Carolina commit in a signable range will be one that is heavily convicted in his hit tool—and those teams are certainly out there. Kinney is more hit over power at the moment, with solid bat-to-ball skills and a fairly clean and fluid bat path out of a slightly crouched setup. He has shown the power to drive balls out to left-center field, and the scouts who really like him think he'll be able to grow into plus power when he's more physically mature. Kinney is a below-average runner and fringy defender, so there's going to be plenty of pressure on his bat to perform and because of that some teams would prefer he proves it against SEC pitching, but others see him as a top-50 player in the class and want to get his bat into pro ball right away. Kinney's father, Mike, is the head baseball coach at his high school.