Joseph King Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Joseph Daniel King
Born 02/23/2001 in Redwood City, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 194 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School California
Drafted in the 9th round (277th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022 (signed for $125,000).

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King was more highly regarded as a catcher than a pitcher in high school, but he blossomed on the mound at California. He earned Freshman All-America honors during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season and, after battling injuries as a sophomore, took over as the Saturday starter for the Golden Bears this spring and led the team in innings (72.2) and wins (5). King doesn’t have a true swing-and-miss pitch, but his fastball and changeup play well off each other to generate weak contact. His fastball sits 91-93 mph out of an over-the-top arm slot and his 82-84 mph changeup is a plus pitch with late drop that keeps hitters off balance. King’s delivery is effortful, but he repeats it well and shows plus control. King works north to south, spotting his fastball in the strike zone and working his changeup at the bottom of the zone and below it. He’s similarly effective against lefties and righties and should be an effective reliever with his two-pitch mix.

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School: California Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
King was effective as California’s Saturday starter in 2022, going 5-3, 3.72 with 60 strikeouts and 15 walks in 72.2 innings. King doesn’t have a true swing and miss pitch, but his fastball-changeup combo is good at generating weak contact. He pairs a 91-93 mph fastball from an extremely over-the-top arm slot with an 82-84 mph plus changeup that generates plenty of swings and misses. King’s delivery is effortful, but he repeats it well and shows plus control. King works north-south, spotting his fastball in the strike zone, and then working his changeup, which has late drop, at the bottom and below the zone. Because of that approach, he’s similarly effective against lefties and righties. His delivery and his reliance primarily on two pitches may portend a move to the bullpen in pro ball.

A two-way player in northern California, King showed an impressive arm behind the plate in workouts during the summer showcase circuit, with pop times in the 1.90-2.00 range with accuracy. However, King's arm works on the mound as well, and that's where most of his pro upside lies at the moment. King flashed big-time stuff over the summer and in the fall with a low 90s fastball that touched 95 multiple times in Perfect Game's Jupiter showcase toward the end of the travel ball schedule. He also spun a 78-81 mph tweener breaking ball that has a 2,100-rpm spin rate. He also showed feel for a mid-80s changeup. Scouts haven't seen the same stuff this spring, however. King was sick at the beginning of the season and lost some weight, which may have led to his fastball dropping into the upper 80s while he rebuilt his strength. A 6-foot-1, 190-pound Washington State commit, King might have to make it to campus and more consistently show big stuff. In late May, King announced he was withdrawing himself from the 2019 draft.