Surprising Padres Pitcher Has Been the 2nd-Best in MLB Since May 1

He has helped keep the Padres' rotation afloat through rocky periods.

Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres' blockbuster trade for Juan Soto has loomed over the franchise since the four-time All-Star flamed out and the team fell short of their heavy expectations in 2023. The team did not jell with Soto on the roster, and missed the playoffs altogether in 2023.

Could this busted trade actually have worked out in the Padres' favor?

The first Soto trade might have backfired, but the second is proving to be one of the better moves the Padres have made in recent years. When the Padres traded Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees last December, they received Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, Drew Thorpe, and Kyle Higashioka from the Yankees.

The addition of King has proven especially vital to the Padres' success this season. King, who primarily pitched as a reliever with the Yankees, has worked exclusively as a starter in his first season with the Padres. Not only is King starting, he has emerged as one of the best starters in MLB.

Since May 1, King has the third-best ERA in MLB at 2.51, only behind Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (2.07) and Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (2.04). He is second in FIP behind Sale at 2.57, while Sale has a 1.69 FIP. Skenes is right behind King with a 2.58 FIP.

Best pitchers in baseball since May 1st

The three pitchers with the lowest....
- ERA: Sale, Skenes, King
- FIP: Sale, King, Skenes

Say what you will of Paul Skenes (and they'd all be right), but Michael King is the John Tudor to his Dwight Gooden pic.twitter.com/lBHtt4801X

— Tangotiger 🍁 (@tangotiger) September 17, 2024

King got off to a rough start with an ERA of 5.00 through his first seven starts of the year before May 1. Since the start of May, however, he has been the Padres' most reliable starter — and one of the most reliable in the entire league.

Overall this season, King is 12-9 with a 3.06 ERA and 191 strikeouts. His ERA for the entire year ranks 10th in MLB despite his slow start. A logical expectation would be for King to see his numbers slip at this point of the season due to the wear and tear on his arm that he hasn't had to enure to this point in his career, but he is pitching as good as he has all season.

The consistency of King since May has been especially important with the injuries to top starters Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove for the most of the season. With Darvish and Musgrove on the injured list multiple times in 2024, King and Dylan Cease have been the Padres' top starters all year.

Cease has also been great, and is second in MLB in strikeouts, but King has undoubtedly been the most consistent member of the rotation since May. Who would have guessed?