BATTLING BISCUIT: Fighting thru injuries Kinney among top hitters in Southern League

Cooper Kinney has been one of the Biscuits’ most consistent hitters in 2025. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

t wasn’t that many years ago that Cooper Kinney sat in the stands and enjoyed a Southern League baseball game.

A little more than a decade ago, Kinney spent many summer nights at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, watching the Lookouts.  

“I grew up five minutes from the stadium downtown,” Kinney recalled. “I’d get to go to those games and see those big names come through. It was really cool. My most vivid memory is watching Yasial Puig play in Chattanooga, which is really cool. I was that kid who wanted to be there. I looked up to those guys playing. I thought they were so good and it was so cool to get that opportunity.

“Now I’m doing the same thing. Hopefully, I can leave a little bit of an impact on those kids because I was literally there not too long ago.”

Kinney is among the top hitters in the Southern League, making a steady climb through the ranks of the minor leagues despite a pair of injuries. One of the assets that has remained constant -- making him one of Tampa’s top prospects -- is a solid performance at the plate that consistently puts the barrel of the bat on the ball.

“You just watch him and you see he is about putting it in play a lot more,” Biscuits manager Kevin Boles said. “I’m looking throughout this league, throughout baseball, there’s so many strikeouts these days. One thing stands out along with a few other  things is he consistently makes contact and he’s a threat every time he does.”

Kinney had committed to play college ball at the University of South Carolina, but a standout season at the Baylor School sent his future in a different direction. As a senior, Kinney batted .456 with nine home runs, 17 doubles and 44 RBIs, leading his team to the state championship and earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the state of Tennessee.

He became the 34th overall pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2021 draft and has spent each of the last three seasons at Charleston, Bowling Green and Montgomery, respectively, as he’s climbed up the minor league ladder.

“It’s been a dream come true for me, just being able to go up through the system,” Kinney said, “especially being in the South, being around where I grew up and getting to play in some cool places. It’s been a little up and down. I had some injuries along the road that slowed down that journey.”

He started his career on an ominous note, injuring his right shoulder diving back to first base in 2022 spring training. The injury would require labrum surgery as he spent his first year of pro ball on the mend.

He excelled at Single-A Charleston the next year, hitting .274 with 10 home runs, 24 doubles and 61 RBIs, earning a promotion to High-A Bowling Green. His senior was actually a little better (.289, 10 HRs, 32 doubles, 63 RBIs) but he reinjured his labrum, requiring some additional surgery to clean up the injury.

“I’ve had two shoulder surgeries since I was drafted, both diving back into bases,” he said. “That slowed it down a little bit but that’s just part of the journey.”

The surgeries have raised concerns from those who wonder if the third baseman might need to move to second or whether the setbacks could affect his development. Kinney shrugs off the doubters.

“I’m just trying to make the most of this opportunity,” he said. “I pride myself that I play hard and give my best every day and that’s all I can really do. I’m working on the stuff that needs worked on and adjusting  every day in practice. When I get out there on the field, I’m just playing as hard as I can and just doing my best. That’s all I can do.”

Despite a July hitting slump that has seen his batting average drop to .211 with 39 strikeouts over the last month, Kinney continues to rank among the Southern League’s best in several offensive categories, including fourth in home runs (13), sixth in slugging percentage (.432) and ninth in RBIs (45).

He led the Southern League in home runs for virtually all of the first two months of the season.

“Honestly, it just comes with taking good swings,” Kinney said. “I pride myself and I’ve worked a lot on swing path and I think I’ve got a great base. I like to compete in the box. I’m not really trying to hit home runs, I’m trying to put a good swing on the ball and it just happens.”

 Kinney understands the responsibility of being a professional baseball player, but he also recalls a time not many years ago when a night at the ballpark meant getting an autograph from one of the players on the field or simply enjoying the game of baseball.

 “That’s part of why I got this awesome opportunity God has given me,” he said. “I get to look up in those stands and see those kids and know that they’re looking at me and looking up to me just like I was a few years ago. That’s a pretty cool experience when they want a ball or they want an autograph. It’s pretty easy for me to do that because I know that’s how I felt when I was a kid.”

The Biscuits are in the middle of a 12-game home stand, which continues tonight against the Columbus Clingstones. First pitch for tonight’s game is 6:05 p.m.