The King and I

I recently picked up a 2019 Bowman Chrome autograph of Michael King, a Yankees pitching prospect who came to them in a 2017 trade with the Marlins for Garrett Cooper and Caleb Smith. The big reason the Yankees made the deal was for international bonus pool money to make a run at Ohtani. Well, the Yankees didn't get him and Smith has emerged into a pretty solid starter for Miami.

Could this be a rare instance where the Brian Cashman comes out on the losing end of a deal? Well, the Yanks may not end up with the short end of the stick here, as King has developed into a better prospect than originally imagined.

He had a solid year for in the Marlins system in 2017, but became a bonafide prospect for NY in 2018 after going 11-5 with an ERA under 2.00 and climbing from A+ to AAA. King looked like he was ready to be a force in NY in 2019, but arm issues forced him out in spring training and he didn't return until late last summer.

I was getting ready to say that he should debut in the Bronx this year, but I had totally forgotten that he made one appearance for the Yanks last September, throwing 2 shutout innings. So he got the debut out of the way!

If the Yankees ever do find a way to unload JA Happ, King would be a possible replacement in the rotation. Therefore, I felt like getting his autograph for under $5 shipped was a good plan now in case he blows up in NY.

If he does, the headlines will certainly write themselves.