John King
St. Louis Cardinals – No. 47
Pitcher
Born: (1994-09-14) September 14, 1994 (age 29)
Laredo, Texas, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 4, 2020, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record11–10
Earned run average3.91
Strikeouts99
Teams

John Edward King (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers.

Amateur career

King attended William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas.[1] He played college baseball at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas in 2014 and 2015.[2] He then attended the University of Houston for two years (2016 and 2017), playing for the Cougars.[3][4] He tore the UCL in his left elbow during his senior season and continued to pitch through the injury.[5] He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 10th round, with the 314th overall selection, of the 2017 MLB draft, and signed with them for a $10,000 signing bonus.[6][7]

Professional career

Texas Rangers

Upon signing, King underwent Tommy John surgery on July 5, 2017.[7] He rehabbed through the majority of the 2018 season, returning that September and appearing in one game for the AZL Rangers of the Rookie-level Arizona League and in three games for the Spokane Indians of the Low-A Northwest League.[7][8] He was assigned to the Hickory Crawdads of the Single-A South Atlantic League to open the 2019 season, and went 1–2 with a 3.42 ERA over 26+1⁄3 innings.[9] He was promoted to the Down East Wood Ducks of the High-A Carolina League on May 10,[10][11] and went 2–4 with a 2.03 ERA over 71 innings for them.[12]

On September 4, 2020, King’s contract was selected to the active roster and made his major league debut that day against the Seattle Mariners.[13] In 10+1⁄3 innings for Texas in 2020, King went 1–0 with a 6.10 ERA and 9 strikeouts. Over 46 innings in 2021 for Texas, King posted a 7–5 record with a 3.52 ERA and 40 strikeouts.[14] King was placed on the IL in July, and underwent surgery for Thoracic outlet syndrome in September 2021.[15]

King split the 2022 season between Texas and the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. With Texas he posted a 1–4 record with a 4.03 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 50+1⁄3 innings; with Round Rock he went 2–1 with a 7.27 ERA over 17+1⁄3 innings.[16]

King was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to begin the 2023 season.[17]

St. Louis Cardinals

On July 30, 2023, the Rangers traded King, Tekoah Roby, and Thomas Saggese to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton.[18]

References

  1. ^ Jack Marrion (April 15, 2013). "BASEBALL: Dulles forces three-way tie for lead; Clements' King no-hits Hightower". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  2. ^ "Roadrunner baseball players earn All-Conference honors". The Lufkin Daily News. May 31, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "John King Biography". Houston Cougars. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "Houston Baseball Spotlight: John King". Houston Cougars. October 13, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  5. ^ Jeff Wilson (June 13, 2017). "Rangers comfortable drafting pitchers with injury histories". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  6. ^ Keith Leventhal (June 15, 2017). "Several players with East Texas ties picked In MLB draft". KHOU 11. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Jamey Newberg (May 9, 2019). "John King and the Rangers took a chance on each other. Now the prospect is a man on a mission". The Athletic. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  8. ^ Josh Norris (October 3, 2018). "Michael Matuella, John King Intrigue At Rangers Camp". Baseball America. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  9. ^ Mark Parker (May 11, 2019). "Promotions, injuries bring changes to Hickory Crawdads roster". Hickory Daily Record. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  10. ^ Josh Norris (May 30, 2019). "Rangers Lefty John King Has Changed His Game". Baseball America. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  11. ^ Jeff Wilson (May 10, 2019). "Texas Rangers: 2018 top pick Winn promoted to Low A Hickory". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Jamey Newberg (September 26, 2019). "Breakouts: Six Rangers prospects who took the biggest leaps forward in 2019". The Athletic. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Sam Blum (September 26, 2019). "Rangers confident in John King's strike-throwing ability ahead of rookie's MLB debut". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  14. ^ Morris, Adam J. (September 20, 2021). "2021 Year in Review: John King". Lone Star Ball (SB Nation). Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Anthony, Franco (September 17, 2021). "Rangers' John King Undergoes Thoracic Outlet Surgery". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Postins, Matthew (October 25, 2022). "Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps: John King". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "Rangers' John King: Optioned to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Anderson, R. J. "Jordan Montgomery trade: Rangers grab another starter, Cardinals get three prospects in deal, per report". CBSSports.com.

External links

St. Louis Cardinals current roster
Categories