Yankees: Could it be Michael King’s year to pitch in pinstripes?

After an incredible 2018, scaling three minor league levels, right-handed pitcher Michael King could finally land with the Yankees this season.

Michael King very well may get his first taste of big league ball, but he won’t be the first minor leaguer to get a call-up to the Yankees. Jonathan Loaisiga, who pitched particularly well in the games he started last season, will more likely than not get the nod before King — which makes total and complete sense.

King was originally a 12th round selection by the Marlins in the 2016 MLB Draft. He came over to the Yankees in the trade for first baseman Garrett Cooper. King’s first full season with the Yankees organization was in 2018.

As dominant and extraordinary as King’s 2018 was, it was only one season. Even still, he seemed unfazed by the varying levels of competition. Combined, he had a 1.79 ERA, which was the best in the farm system with over 10 starts and an 11-5 record.

Starting in High-A Tampa, King began better than his record showed. Going 1-3 over his first seven starts, he held opposing teams to just 15 runs — eight of them were earned. That was good enough for an ERA of only 1.13.

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When he moved up to Double-A Trenton, King showed his very best which included his most dominant start of the season — a complete game shutout. On June 30, King struck out 11 on 100 pitches — 76 of those for strikes in that CG shutout. He’d go 6-2 for Trenton over 11 starts.

Finally, he finished 2018 with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This is where he spent the least amount of time but still amassed an impressive resume. King went 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA over six starts. He allowed just five earned runs over 39 innings and struck out 31 batters.

The sample size of his talent is still small, but with more seasoning for the RailRiders towards the beginning of this season, may be enough for him to turn even more heads against MLB ready talent.

King has a big-league arm with excellent movement on a speedy fastball and two secondary pitches that buckle batters’ knees. His fastball sits at 92-93 MPH with a substantial amount of action. His slider cuts across between 80 and 84 MPH and his circle changeup floats around the same.

Without a doubt, getting an invite to Spring Training is huge for King. Being able to learn from veterans like C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino will go a long way for King’s maturation.

The prospect of the call-up this upcoming season can undoubtedly happen. The Yankees, with the uncertainty of Sabathia’s health, could require another starting pitcher.

Trading for James Paxton and dealing away Sonny Gray evened out the number of arms in the rotation but upgraded it in regards to skill.

Smart money is on Loaisiga getting the first crack at receiving starts. In his four starts last season, Loaisiga had a 3.00 ERA and struck out 21 batters over 18 innings. His 5.11 total ERA was primarily due to five relief appearances in September following a lengthy stint on the DL.

But for King, this will be the biggest year of his short career. Major league Spring Training, a shot at the Bronx and the very least, a full season at the highest level of minor league ball. All eyes will be on King this spring — and going forward through the summer months.