Bleeding Yankee Blue: THE NEXT YANKEE PITCHING PHENOM YOU MUST WATCH

Monday, February 4, 2019

THE NEXT YANKEE PITCHING PHENOM YOU MUST WATCH

Photo: Scranton Times-Tribune

The Yankees don't have a lot of pitching depth now that Justus Sheffield and Sonny Gray are no longer on the team. It's something that I continue to think about because we all know how important pitching is and it's true....you can never have enough of it.

We already know the Yankees have familiar faces of Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga as possible call ups if needed. At some point Jordan Montgomery will be back also, but we still don't have a good timetable on that either. The Yankee also still have Chance Adams who has fallen from grace and could be facing a "make or break" year. There is another name out there that could be a potential call up his season and you may not have heard about him.

Right hand pitcher Michael King is ranked as the Yankees fifth best prospect according to Baseball America. He's also one of 21 non-roster players that received an invitation to spring training on Friday. King has flown under the radar, but his talent seems legit and he could be a productive player for the Yankees going forward.

King hasn't had a lot of attention on him until recently, and given what he has been able to accomplish it is no wonder why the Yankees are really starting to take notice. The Yankees acquired him in 2017 from the Marlins. He was part of a deal that sent international bonus money as they pursued Shohei Ohtani. The Marlins didn't score with Ohtani, but the Yankees may end up scoring with King.

Last season King jumped all the way from Class-A Tampa to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with impressive numbers.

Here are his numbers just in Triple-A: 4-0 record with a 1.15 ERA in 39 innings.
Here are his numbers between all three levels: 1.79 ERA, 152 strikeouts, 29 walks in 161 1/3 innings.

The numbers are certainly impressive, but so is the confidence according to minor league pitching coordinator Danny Borrell. "Every time he moved up, he seemed to get better. He wasn’t fazed by the better competition and he knows how to pitch. I could see him in New York this year if he pitches like he did last year. I don't see him regressing," read more HERE.

It's nice to see a new face making a path toward the majors, especially ones we tend to overlook. Who knows, maybe we will see him in the Bronx this season. I like the sound of that!