Cooper Kinney
| Cooper Kinney | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Kinney with the Charleston RiverDogs in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Tampa Bay Rays | |||||||||||||||
| Second baseman | |||||||||||||||
| Born: January 27, 2003 Kennesaw, Georgia, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Cooper Michael Kinney (born January 27, 2003) is an American professional baseball second baseman in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Amateur career
[edit]Kinney attended Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he played baseball under his father, Mike.[1][2] In 2019, as a sophomore, he batted .396 with five home runs.[3] As a senior in 2021, he hit .480 with ten home runs and fifty RBIs and was named the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year.[4] He committed to play college baseball at the University of South Carolina.[5]
Professional career
[edit]Kinney was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first competitive balance round with the 34th overall selection of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.[6] He signed with the Rays for a $2.1 million signing bonus.[7]
Kinney made his professional debut with the Florida Complex League Rays, slashing .286/.468/.371 with five RBIs over 35 at-bats.[8] He missed all of the 2022 season due to undergoing shoulder surgery.[9][10] Kinney returned to play in 2023 with the Charleston RiverDogs and batted .274 with ten home runs and 61 RBIs over 121 games.[11] In 2024, he played with the Bowling Green Hot Rods and hit .289 with ten home runs, 63 RBIs, and 32 doubles over 87 games.[12] Kinney was assigned to the Montgomery Biscuits for the 2025 season.[13] Over 117 games, he batted .242 with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs.[14] Kinney returned to Montgomery to start the 2026 season and was promoted to the Durham Bulls in early May.[15] Across 105 games with both teams, he hit .270 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs.[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Cooper Kinney has notable offensive skills". Baseball Prospect Journal. April 6, 2021.
- ↑ "Baylor School's Cooper Kinney could go from Mr. Tennessee Baseball to MLB Draft pick". June 7, 2021.
- ↑ "Baylor baseball star Cooper Kinney drafted by Tampa Bay Rays". www.yahoo.com.
- ↑ "Baylor's Cooper Kinney named state's top player by Gatorade". timesfreepress.com.
- ↑ Cloninger, David. "USC, Clemson commitments taken during first night of Major League Baseball Draft". Post and Courier.
- ↑ "Tampa Bay Rays Select Baylor's Cooper Kinney '21 In MLB Draft - Chattanoogan.com". www.chattanoogan.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021.
- ↑ Berry, Adam (July 19, 2021). "Rays ink Kinney, second Day 1 pick". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ↑ "Wiedmer: Baylor grad Cooper Kinney already giving back to Chattanooga, with much help from Gatorade".
- ↑ "Here's where Rays Top 30 prospects are starting '22". MLB.com.
- ↑ "Rays' Cooper Kinney: Shut down after shoulder surgery".
- ↑ https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/jun/23/baylor-grad-cooper-kinney-others-from-chattanooga/
- ↑ https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/jan/23/former-baylor-star-cooper-kinney-inches-closer-to/
- ↑ https://www.montgomeryindependent.com/sports/biscuits-hold-off-clingstones-for-opening-night-win-at-riverwalk/article_054c0ef0-9666-4f1a-84ee-390bdd73e158.html
- 1 2 "Cooper Kinney Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ↑ Hickman, Shelby. "Remember to Have Fun: Cooper Kinney's Recipe for Success | USA Baseball". www.usabaseball.com. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 2003 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Kennesaw, Georgia
- Baseball players from Tennessee
- Baseball second basemen
- Florida Complex League Rays players
- Baylor School alumni
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- Charleston RiverDogs players
- Bowling Green Hot Rods players
- Montgomery Biscuits players
- Durham Bulls players