Screenshot 2025-01-09 at 3.59.11 PM.pngResults backed up these scary numbers. Opposing batters slugged .726 against them with a .455 xwOBA and smacked nine home runs. For comparison’s sake, Aaron Judge had a .701 SLG and .479 xwOBA last season. Every time King threw a fastball last March or April, it was as if Judge was […]
Screenshot 2025-01-09 at 3.59.11 PM.pngResults backed up these scary numbers. Opposing batters slugged .726 against them with a .455 xwOBA and smacked nine home runs. For comparison’s sake, Aaron Judge had a .701 SLG and .479 xwOBA last season. Every time King threw a fastball last March or April, it was as if Judge was in the batter’s box.L Michael King was always an afterthought. First, going to the Marlins in the 12th round of the 2016 draft out of Boston College. Then, being traded to the Yankees as a throw-in in a deal that was predominantly to acquire international bonus pool money in their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani. Later, as an ascending as a relief pitcher that couldn’t make his way back into the rotation..252 Generally, righty pitchers don’t throw many sweepers to lefty batters because they perform much better against righty hitters. Batter Whiff% .359 Just check out his pitch usage against left-handed batters from May onward.R That last piece of data intuitively makes sense given King’s adjustments after April. Lefties teed off on him early and couldn’t figure him out afterwards. Also, his sinker was devastating against righties and is one of the most difficult pitches to square-up in the league. This is a cool piece of analysis that’s come from new Bat Tracking data.As one of the best run-suppressors in the league, King was a master at limiting hard contact. After allowing 10 home runs in April alone, he surrendered just seven total the rest of the season. He was in the 99th percentile in exit velocity against, 97th percentile in hard-hit rate against, and had the lowest squared-up rate for any starting pitcher in the league after May 1st.King’s sinker became his second-most thrown pitch against lefties after May 1st and he was using it more regularly as a put-away pitch. He also threw it significantly more often against righties. Here’s Mookie Betts looking silly against one for good measure.Those three pitches along with his changeup allowed him to hit the ground running and pitch his way to a 1.88 ERA as a starter in 2023..293 .321 All of these issues could be traced back to his fastballs not maintaining their same level of effectiveness as the season before. Each were a few ticks slower and their Stuff+ each dropped below 80! That’s so bad it’s past the danger zone and in the “something might be really wrong” zone.32.2 Screenshot 2025-01-09 at 4.50.24 PM.png.348
So, what made this move for King possible? And how did he transition so smoothly?
.726
.218 Date At this point, King had two similarly sized samples across two seasons as a starter: in one, he was lights-out and in the other, he was awful.Rather, King had the gumption to start the bulk of his at-bats against lefties with them. More than trust in one’s stuff, that shows a ton of trust in one’s command.
Date
Role Call
wOBA wOBA Lastly, his most thrown pitcher overall to lefties was his changeup – another pitch whose effectiveness is closely tied to command. While that alone was not particularly crazy, King threw that changeup as often when he was behind in the count as he was ahead or had two strikes on a batter. That’s only possibly with pinpoint command and confidence.
So, King had the stuff to be a starter, excelled there in a short stint, and had that role clearly defined for him once in San Diego. All systems go, right? Right?
So, King had the stuff to be a starter, excelled there in a short stint, and had that role clearly defined for him once in San Diego. All systems go, right? Right?
All in all, he wound up as the 17th most valuable starting pitcher in the league according to FanGraphs’ Player Rater. That was ahead of George Kirby, Aaron Nola, and Luis Castillo.
Obviously, moving from the bullpen to the rotation was the key reason King broke out. In fact, he did it before it was cool – shoutout Seth Lugo for truly blazing the trail – and likely paved the way for Reynaldo López, Jordan Hicks, Clay Holmes, and possibly Jeff Hoffman to do the same.
King and his sinker are not average, though. It has plus-plus movement and he has fantastic command overall. That allowed him to be more creative and daring with that pitch than most other pitchers can afford to be. Look at the differences in where he located it in March and April versus the rest of the season.
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After May
Fewer fastballs down the middle is almost always a good thing. King was able to live there in the past when his fastball had more zip. As its stuff waned, his command became more important and helped pull that fastball from the doldrums.
King maintained his starters’ repertoire when he moved to the bullpen. He was one of just 22 relievers who threw a minimum of 50 IP to use four different pitches at least 10% of the time that season. Other current starters Lugo and Nick Martinez were also in that group.
I already told you about the wicked front-hip sinkers against lefties. Possibly more brazen than that, King’s most commonly thrown first pitch to them was his sweeper. The only way he could get away with that was throwing them back-door, and that’s exactly what he did.
With this, he no longer had any holes in his game and ran roughshod through the entire league.
Again, less pitches right down the middle is great. But more specifically, King began locating that sinker on the lefties’ front hip. Few have the ability to weaponize it in that way and he was able to force some outrageous called strikes doing so..356 King came out on the other side of those tough early months with one of the most audacious gameplans in baseball. He did things from a command perspective that most other pitchers won’t even try, let alone center their game around it.This helped to usher in what would be a dominant summer for him.Overall, the results against King’s fastballs improved dramatically from May through the rest of the season. Additionally, King wielded two plus fastballs – his four-seamer and sinker. As a reliever in 2023, they had a 104 and 111 Stuff+, respectively. After moving to the rotation, they held true at 109 and 108..300 At the end of the day, his sinker, sweeper, and changeup are all plus pitches and his command is exceptional. That should establish a safe enough floor for him to be at least a low-end SP1 with upside for more..408 SLG He was one of just 13 starting pitchers who had both an above average four-seamer and sinker by Stuff+. Of course, he only threw 38 1/3 IP as a starter and sat just under five innings per start in that first stint back in the rotation. That allowed him to maintain his velocity from the bullpen and inflate those stuff numbers some. Still, that sinker is ridiculous. To go along with the sinker, King’s sweeper has always been a true out-pitch. It darts across the zone from King’s low, cross-body release and had the fourth-most horizontal movement in baseball when he moved to the rotation. This thing is a frisbee.SLG There should also be confidence in his workload with over 170 innings pitched last season and he’ll still pitch his home games in PetCo Park, one of the best pitchers’ parks in the league.
Jadran returns the crown to Škver through new drama
Photo: PVK Jadran/Vuk Ilić Primorac handed over the crown, and Vladimir Gojković returned the Montenegrin champion title to Škver on his return. The Jadran M:tela water polo players are celebrating the trophy after defeating their Boka Kotorska rival in the third match of the final series – after two victories on five points, everything is […]
Primorac handed over the crown, and Vladimir Gojković returned the Montenegrin champion title to Škver on his return.
The Jadran M:tela water polo players are celebrating the trophy after defeating their Boka Kotorska rival in the third match of the final series – after two victories on five points, everything is now settled in the regular season (11:9).
The team from Novi thus reached their 13th title since Montenegro became independent and ended the season with one trophy, as Primorac won the Cup at the end of 2024.
The third game also brought drama. Primorac opened the derby better and led 5:2 in the second quarter, but then the hosts went on a 6:0 run in a period of almost 11 minutes in which Vjekoslav Pasković’s team failed to score.
Jadran led 8:5, Primorac reduced the lead to 8:7 through Nemanja Vic and the phenomenal Đorđije Stanojević, and then the game was goal for goal.
The new champion could have gone three points clear on several occasions in the last period, Primorac could have evened the score, and Uroš Vučurović put an end to the uncertainty with a goal four seconds before the end.
Vučurović scored after a timeout by Gojković after a foul was called on Dragan Drašković with 23 seconds left. There were huge protests from the Kotor fans about the referee’s decision, and coach Pasković was sent off, but Jadran didn’t look back…
Dmitrij Holod, Aleksandar Ivović and Vuk Milojević were double scorers, Vučurović, Danilo Radović, Đorđe Lazić, Matija Sladović and Danilo Stupar scored once each.
Stanojevic stood out for Primorac with four goals, while Nika Shushiashvili scored twice.
JADRAN M:TEL – PRIMORAC 11:9 (2:4, 4:1, 4:3, 1:1)
Herceg Novi – Swimming pool at Škver. Spectators: 1.000. Judges: Mišković, Ivanovski.
Jadran M:tel: Đurović (six saves), Holod 2, Vučurović 1, Obradović, Vujović, D. Radović 1, Lazić 1, Gojković, Ivović 2, Sladović 1, Milojević 2, V. Radović, Stupar 1, I. Radović.
Primorac: Masaro, Brguljan, S. Cetkovic, Susijasvili 2, Murisic, Draskovic, Matkovic 1, Janovic, Vico 1, Brkic, P. Cetkovic, 1, Stanojevic 4, Vuckovic, D. Cetkovic.
Naperville Central girls water polo holds off Waubonsie Valley to reach sectional final
Three-seed Naperville Central girls water polo and Waubonsie Valley square off for a chance to play against Naperville North in the sectional finals. The Warriors defeated the Redhawks 7-6 in the regular season. This highlight is sponsored by BMO. Kaylee Shiffer records an early hat trick for Naperville Central In the early going, Julia Weber finds […]
Three-seed Naperville Central girls water polo and Waubonsie Valley square off for a chance to play against Naperville North in the sectional finals. The Warriors defeated the Redhawks 7-6 in the regular season. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Kaylee Shiffer records an early hat trick for Naperville Central
In the early going, Julia Weber finds Kaylee Shiffer near the net, and she puts the Redhawks on the board. It’s 1-0 after three minutes of play.
Now in the second quarter, the Warriors are looking to answer. Malini Madiman passes to Reece Clavey on the right wing, and she tosses it over the goalie’s outstretched arms. That one ties the game at 1-1 with five minutes left in the half.
Minutes later, Maddie Malinger connects with Kaylee Shiffer near the goal, and she goes up high for another score. Shiffer now has a hat trick, giving the Redhawks a 4-2 lead with three minutes to play in the second quarter.
Waubonsie Valley girls water polo keeps it close in the IHSA Girls Water Polo Sectional Semifinal
With a minute left in the half, Reece Clavey delivers a perfect pass to Calin Ball, and she tosses it into the back of the net. The Warriors close the gap to 4-3 with one minute left in the half.
Now in the second half, Meghan Tueting connects with Molly Moore, who gives a couple of pump fakes before firing it into the back of the net. That one extends the Naperville Central lead to 6-3.
Moments later, Calin Ball passes it ahead to Ruby Meier, and she’s all alone. She goes one-on-one with the goalie and wins the battle. It’s now a 6-4 game with four minutes to play in the third quarter.
Meier and Weber score two more, and Central girls water polo defeats Waubonsie
After a penalty, Ruby Meier has a free shot at the goal against Eleni Nicoloudes. She targets the top corner, but Nicoloudes gets a hand on it and keeps it out of the net. The big save preserves the Redhawk lead at 6-4.
With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Megan Tueting throws it to Julia Weber in front of the net, and she’s able to ward off the Waubonsie defenders and score another goal for Naperville Central. That one gives the Redhawks an 8-4 lead. Waubonsie Valley goes on to score two goals in the fourth, but Naperville Central hangs on to win 8-6, advancing to the sectional finals against Naperville North.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
High school volleyball: Southern Section boys’ championship results
SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS SATURDAY’S RESULTS FINALS At Cerritos College DIVISION 3 Tesoro d. Orange Lutheran, 25-16, 25-16, 27-25 DIVISION 5 Kennedy d. Esperanza, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 26-24 DIVISION 9 CAMS d. Downey Calvary Chapel, 25-16, 25-20, 25-19 Advertisement DIVISION 6 El Toro d. Quartz Hill, 17-25, 28-26, 25-21, 25-19 At Santa Barbara DIVISION […]
CAMS d. Downey Calvary Chapel, 25-16, 25-20, 25-19
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DIVISION 6
El Toro d. Quartz Hill, 17-25, 28-26, 25-21, 25-19
At Santa Barbara
DIVISION 4
Sage Hill d. Santa Barbara, 15-25, 25-13, 18-25, 25-20, 15-8
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
FINALS
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 1
Mira Costa d. Huntington Beach, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 29-31, 15-11
At Mater Dei
DIVISION 2
Mater Dei d. Peninsula, 20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19
At Crossroads
DIVISION 8
Wildwood d. Katella, 25-22, 25-15, 25-15
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
FINALS
DIVISION 7
San Gabriel Academy d. Brea Olinda, 3-2
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
ARCHERS have released a new music video! The new music video, for the track Wide Awake, is taken from the Wisconsin-based metalcore band’s upcoming new EP, Temporary High, which is scheduled to be released in June this year, via SBG Records. Speaking about the upcoming EP, the band shares, “Temporary High is all about finding catharsis. It’s about breaking […]
The new music video, for the track Wide Awake, is taken from the Wisconsin-based metalcore band’s upcoming new EP, Temporary High, which is scheduled to be released in June this year, via SBG Records.
Speaking about the upcoming EP, the band shares, “Temporary High is all about finding catharsis. It’s about breaking free from toxic cycles and finding value in oneself apart from anyone or anything that would try to usurp one’s own identity.”
Watch the official music video for Wide Awake here:
Temporary High is set for release on June 13th via SBG Records. Pre-orders are available now and can be purchased here.
For more information on ARCHERS like their official page on Facebook.
CIF-SS Track & Field Championships 2025 – The562.org
Tyler Hendrickson Tyler Hendrickson was born and raised in Long Beach, and started covering sports in his hometown in 2010. After five years as a sportswriter, Tyler joined the athletic department at Long Beach State University in 2015. He spent more than four years in the athletic communications department, working primarily with the Dirtbags baseball […]
Tyler Hendrickson was born and raised in Long Beach, and started covering sports in his hometown in 2010. After five years as a sportswriter, Tyler joined the athletic department at Long Beach State University in 2015. He spent more than four years in the athletic communications department, working primarily with the Dirtbags baseball program. Tyler also co-authored of The History of Long Beach Poly: Scholars & Champions.
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