The New York Yankees 25th best prospect in their minor league system might have a major impact whenever the season gets under way. Michael King is a pitcher that a lot of Yankees fans have heard about in the last couple of years. The 6’3 right hander was acquired from Marlins back in 2017 and he immediately made a big impact in the minors. In his first season in the Yankees system, King went 11-5 with a 1.79 ERA. He pitches his way from A+ all the way to AAA. In AAA he really shined going 4-0 in six starts with an ERA of 1.15. King was dominating and he did so with his great control. In his 39 innings in AAA, King struck out 31 batters while only walking six. A lot of folks thought King was going to be a rotation option for the Yankees in 2019, but the Yankees injury bug struck again.
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Derailed 2019
Last spring when King was getting ready for the season, he felt some discomfort in his pitching elbow. Everything came to a screeching halt, and King was sidelined until August with the elbow injury. In his four starts at AAA last year, King went 3-1 with a 4.18 ERA in 23.2 innings. In those 23 plus innings King kept the walks down while striking out 28 batters. King played his way up and got a chance with the big league club at the end of the year. King pitched in one game for the Yankees and he threw two scoreless innings. As a pitcher, King really relies on his fastball. He probably has the best control out of any pitching prospect the Yankees have in their farm system. His breaking pitches are nothing spectacular, but his fastball is so good that he’s able to get away with a lot.
Role in 2020
This year, King was projected to compete for a spot in the Yankees rotation. James Paxton and Luis Severino were both sidelined with injuries and Domingo German was suspended. Now with the Covid-19 pandemic, James Paxton will be ready to go when the season starts. Jordan Montgomery is likely to get the fifth spot in the Yankees rotation which leaves King as the odd man out. The Yankees have a few options when it comes to King. They can keep him at AAA and continue to develop him or they could place him in the bullpen for the year. King’s fastball and command could make him a serious weapon out of the bullpen in 2020. I would like to see King develop those off-speed pitches a little more so he wasn’t so one dimensional when he pitches. I think King is due for a great bounce back season in 2020, I’m just curious to see what his role will be.