Michael King Is Earning His Crown In The Padres’ Rotation

Michael King’s transition from reliever to full-time starting pitcher in 2024 was a success, but his 2025 campaign has elevated him to new heights. Through nine starts, King boasts a 4-1 record with a 2.32 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP, both of which currently rank third in the National League, along with a 3.24 FIP. He also has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any outing this season, while already throwing a complete-game shutout. 

But this isn’t some early-season hot streak. It’s the product of small, deliberate changes that have transformed King from a flexible bullpen piece into one of the most consistent arms in the National League. With a five-pitch mix, good command, and a new lower arm slot that’s adding movement across the board, King has quietly become one of, if not the Padres’ most dependable starters.

What makes King effective isn’t one overpowering pitch, but the way he mixes five differing pitches seamlessly. His 2025 pitch mix highlights just how balanced and unpredictable he’s become: throwing his sinker 27.3% of the time, his four-seam fastball 26.1%, the changeup 20.8%, the sweeper 19.1%, and the slider 6.7%.

Compared to 2024, the shifts are subtle but meaningful. His changeup usage has dropped slightly (from 24.6% to 20.8%), while the four-seamer has ticked up (from 24.2% to 26.1%). The sweeper and slider have each gotten a small bump in usage, too. What’s more important than the slight shifts in usage, though, is how he’s getting more out of every pitch. 

According to his impressive Baseball Savant page, the total movement on all five of his pitches is up from last season. King is getting more horizontal break on his sweeper and slider, more arm-side run on the sinker and changeup, and more ride on the four-seamer. As a result, his arsenal has become both more deceptive and more dangerous. 

His velocity hasn’t jumped, and that can be a good thing. The velocity on all his pitches is nearly identical to 2024, except his slider, which has gone down almost two mph. This suggests that his breakout isn’t the result of a temporary velocity spike, but rather a mechanical shift. 

King is currently throwing from the lowest arm angle of his career, around 27 degrees, and that tweak is proving transformative. The lower slot has added deception to his pitches, making it challenging for hitters to square up the ball. 

That adjustment is allowing his already-solid stuff to play up. His K% is up from last year (27.9% from 27.7%), and his BB% is down (8.0% from 8.7%). Because he commands his pitches so well, particularly to both edges of the plate, hitters can’t sit on any one shape or velocity. So while his command might not be elite, as his Location+ on FanGraphs is 104, just above league average, it’s solid enough to support his success.

There were fair questions heading into 2025 about whether King’s transition to the rotation full-time last season was sustainable. After all, despite a good 2024 season, it was his first true year in the role. 

But so far in 2025, durability has not been an issue. Aside from his season debut, King has completed five or more innings in every start and continues to show poise deep into outings. Perhaps even more impressive is that he hasn't had a single disaster game—nine starts in, zero outings with more than three earned runs allowed. Being able to keep the Padres in games consistently is exactly what makes King look like a true rotation anchor.

In a rotation that is constantly searching for stability after the Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove injuries, King has quietly become the Padres’ most reliable starter.

Unlike many breakout starters who lean on overpowering stuff that can fade over a long season, King’s foundation is built on deception and adaptability. He doesn’t need to throw 98 to win; he just needs to do what he has done every time he’s taken the mound this year.

Whether he ends the season with a sub-3.00 ERA is anyone’s guess, as that kind of number is hard to maintain over 30-plus starts. But if he stays healthy, there’s no reason he can’t. 

Michael King’s rise isn’t flashy, but it’s overly impressive. He’s gone from an intriguing long reliever to a smart, five-pitch starter whose ceiling and floor both look to be trending up. 

The Padres believed in his ability to take on more. Now, he’s proving they were right — and he’s making a compelling case to be a fixture in San Diego’s rotation for years to come. 

And at only age 29, King looks ready to be the ace of the Padres’ pitching staff, which looks to be a contender through the year and beyond.