Michael King's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King cruised to his second win of the season on Saturday in a 4-0 win over the Giants. Jurickson Profar staked him four runs in the top of the first inning with a grand slam, then King went seven strong innings allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out four. It was certainly cleaner than his last outing in which he also faced the Giants, when the 28-year-old lasted just four innings and walked seven batters. King came over from the Yankees in the offseason and was somewhat of a sleeper pick in fantasy drafts after posting some great numbers as a starter down the stretch in 2023, twirling a 2.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 25.8% K-BB% over 40 1/3 IP. Hopefully this start gets him back on track for 2024 and the command issues are behind him.

San Diego Padres right-hander Michael Kinghas been very good in limited Cactus League action this spring. The 28-year-old has yet to allow an earned runs with four strikeouts against zero walks in five frames to begin his spring. Acquired from the Yankees in a trade that sent superstar Juan Soto to the Bronx, King worked to a tidy 2.75 ERA across 49 appearances (nine starts) in the 2023 season, one year after posting a stellar 2.29 ERA in 34 relief outings with the Yankees in the 2022 campaign. All told, King sports a 3.38 ERA across 115 outings (19 starts) in the big leagues and ATC projects him to toss a 3.59 ERA alongside an 18.4% K-BB% across 24 starts and 32 appearances in the 2024 campaign. His fantasy stock is certainly on the rise as he projects to be the No. 3 starter for the Padres in the upcoming season.

New San Diego Padres right-hander Michael King and the team agreed to a one-year, $3.15 million deal for 2024 on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration. King was part of the package sent to San Diego when the New York Yankees acquired outfielder Juan Soto in December. The 28-year-old was moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation in 2023 in the Bronx and delivered to the tune of a strong 2.75 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 127 strikeouts in 49 outings (nine starts) over 104 2/3 innings pitched. He's expected to stay in a starting role for the Friars in his first year with the team and will have plenty of fantasy appeal with an upgrade in home ballpark. No matter what role King had in 2023, he was effective with a nearly 30 percent strikeout rate.