Michael King, the Yankees’ most improbable 2021 breakout candidate

Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty ImagesAfter the 2018 season, all signs pointed to Michael King being an important part of the Yankees’ future pitching plans. Acquired in a deal with the Marlins during the 2017-18 offseason, King pitched at three levels (Class-A Advanced, Double-A, and Triple-A) during his first year in the organization, and the highest ERA he had was 2.09 at Trenton. His marks in Tampa and Scranton were lower than 2.00. Overall, he delivered a 1.79 ERA and 152/29 K/BB ratio over 161 1/3 frames in 2018.

Then, 2019 came, and King started experiencing elbow issues in February. The Yankees played it cautiously, and he pitched only 46 minor league innings that year…