Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 45
The Yankees accomplished three objectives in a November 2017 trade with the Marlins: clearing spots on their 40-man roster by dealing Garrett Cooper and Caleb Smith, acquiring international bonus pool money and grabbing King. Miami had drafted him in the 12th round in 2016, when he earned Boston College's lone victory in the only NCAA super-regional appearance in the program's history. He had a spectacular season after changing organizations, ranking second in the Minors in ERA (1.79) and third in WHIP (0.91) while rising from Class A Advanced to Triple-A, but has yet to pitch in 2019 after getting diagnosed with a stress reaction in his elbow in March, but missed the first three months of the 2019 season after getting diagnosed with a stress reaction in his elbow in March.
King's success centers on precision command of a two-seam fastball that sits at 92-95 mph. He can run or sink his heater to either corner of the plate, and he's an extreme ground-ball pitcher with a career groundout/airout ratio of 1.7 through his first three pro seasons. The Yankees also helped him improve his secondary pitches, leading to a jump in his strikeout rate from 6.3 per nine innings in two years in Miami's system to 8.5 in his first in New York's.
Both King's slider and changeup can be solid pitches when they're working, and evaluators generally prefer his slider by a slight margin. He has the best control and command among Yankees pitching prospects and one of the highest floors as well. Regarded as a finesse right-hander who might fit at the back of a rotation at the time of his trade, he now he appears to be more than that. Statcast - Pitching Season Pitches Batted Balls Barrels Barrel % Exit Velocity Launch Angle XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON Hard Hit % K % BB % 2019 41 8 0 0.0 81.3 18.9 .125 .141 .193 .118 .133 12.5 11.1 0.0 ALL 41 8 0 0.0 81.3 18.9 .125 .141 .193 .118 .133 12.5 11.1 0.0 MLB 40553 6.3 87.5 11.2 .251 .412 .317 .318 .371 34.5 21.7 8.3 Transactions Team Date Transaction 10/20/2019 New York Yankees activated RHP Michael King. 10/04/2019 New York Yankees reassigned RHP Michael King to the minor leagues. 09/19/2019 New York Yankees selected the contract of RHP Michael King from Trenton Thunder. 09/10/2019 RHP Michael King assigned to Trenton Thunder from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 08/15/2019 RHP Michael King assigned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders from Trenton Thunder. 07/30/2019 RHP Michael King assigned to Trenton Thunder from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 07/30/2019 RHP Michael King roster status changed by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 07/25/2019 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders sent RHP Michael King on a rehab assignment to Staten Island Yankees. 07/11/2019 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders sent RHP Michael King on a rehab assignment to GCL Yankees West. 04/04/2019 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders placed RHP Michael King on the 7-day injured list. 02/01/2019 New York Yankees invited non-roster RHP Michael King to spring training. 08/04/2018 RHP Michael King assigned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders from Trenton Thunder. 05/19/2018 RHP Michael King assigned to Trenton Thunder from Tampa Tarpons. 02/28/2018 RHP Michael King assigned to New York Yankees. 11/21/2017 RHP Michael King assigned to Tampa Yankees. 11/20/2017 New York Yankees traded LHP Caleb Smith and OF Garrett Cooper to Miami Marlins for Future Considerations and RHP Michael King. 09/02/2016 RHP Michael King assigned to Greensboro Grasshoppers from Batavia Muckdogs. 07/16/2016 RHP Michael King assigned to Batavia Muckdogs from GCL Marlins. 06/24/2016 RHP Mike King assigned to GCL Marlins. 06/21/2016 Miami Marlins signed RHP Michael King.
