Jose King

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #17 prospect in 2018
  One of the new trends in trades is the quest to dig deeper and deeper into farm system to find a gem that a team is willing to include in a deal. That explains why the Tigers asked for King on the basis of what he showed in less than 75 pro games. One of Baseball America's Top 20 Dominican Summer League prospects from 2016, he was one of three players the Tigers acquired in the trade that sent J.D. Martinez to the Diamondbacks. King is skinny and physically undeveloped at this point and he knows it, which is why he slaps the ball and relies on his near top-of-the-scale speed. His swing has some length and modest bat control, but it's realistic to think that he'll improve it if he gets stronger. He doesn't have the strength yet to really manipulate the barrel and his plate discipline needs to improve. King has an average arm but he does need a longer release to generate that velocity, which leads a number of evaluators to say that in the long run he'll have to slide to second base or center field. If he stays rail thin, King could end up as speedy, versatile utility infielder/outfielder able to play shortstop in a pinch. But if he fills out, he could end up as a top-of-the order table-setter with a plus hit tool and well below-average power.