When Michael King is on his game, the Padres' rotation suddenly clicks into place.
Spring training box scores might be like junk food-fun but not all that meaningful. However, Michael King's first outing? That's the real deal.
King made his spring debut in a 7-3 victory over the Angels, and he looked like a man on a mission to shake off the word "limited." Striking out four, allowing just two hits, and working with impressive pace and purpose, King pitched 2 2/3 innings, even going beyond his planned "at least two." Craig Stammen mentioned that the Padres let him keep going because he was simply too good to pull from the mound.
The Padres just received a crucial reminder of what Michael King can bring to the table.
His radar and command were in sync. King needed only 37 pitches, with 26 strikes, and his sinker was clocking in at 93.4 mph-nearly a full tick faster than last year. He breezed through a nine-pitch first inning, set down his first six batters, and the only hiccup was a leadoff homer by Christian Moore in the third.
Sure, it's only February, but a healthy King is exactly what the Padres need to stabilize early on. Last year was a rough ride for him-plagued by shoulder and knee issues, a lengthy midseason absence, and a finish that never quite hit "ace" status. Limited to 15 starts in 2025, he wasn't his sharpest when he returned.
King isn't shying away from it. He expressed feeling like he "let the team down" by only pitching around 70 innings and made it clear he's aiming for 200. That's a bold mission statement, and it's precisely why the Padres invested in him with a three-year, $75 million deal last December.
If King can return to his 2024 form-when he finished seventh in NL Cy Young voting-the Padres' rotation transforms from a series of question marks into a solid identity.
For the first time in a while, King looked like a pitcher the Padres can truly count on.