He sat on an elevated bench in the right-field bullpen of Arm & Hammer Park like a content Buddha. Michael King, Trenton Thunder pitching prospect for the New York Yankees Double A affiliate, had that look of serene happiness as he sat up high, the sunshine shooting through the metal slates on the chain link fence at his back, dotting his legs in an early Jackson Pollock-like pattern.
King, 24, has reason to be happy. The day before, Saturday, August 10, he went 5 2/3 innings allowing just two runs. Not a big deal? In his previous start, the Rochester, NY native gave up 10 runs — all earned — in three innings as he made his only his seventh start after being shut down with a stress reaction in his right elbow for most of the year.
“This is spring training for Michael,” says first-year manager Pat Osborn from his office prior to the game with the Harrisburg Senators as he munched on a blue water ice. “The guys he’s facing have been at it for four months.”
The reigning Minor Year Pitcher of the Year for 2018, King put up impressive numbers with stops in Tampa, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Trenton going 11-5 with a 1.80 ERA and a WHIP of 0.91 in 161 innings.
The layoff drove him crazy.
“I felt like a kid locked inside looking outside at his friends playing,” states King. “Me being down in Tampa stunk. I had early morning [rehab], done by noon then sitting in my apartment watching all these guys playing.”
So what caused the stress reaction? Was it a 100-mph fastball or a 12-to-6 curve?
“I mostly felt it on my changeup,” King says.
“I try to over pronate my changeup, so I think it was that motion and release of trying to snap it forward when I felt it in my elbow.”
When he was rehabbing, he even had to lay off the video games.
“I loved to play Fortnite, but I stopped. I thought that might hurt my arm,” he says while laughing. “I only felt it when I was max effort on the mound. I knew I had to get over the hump before I could have the confidence in myself.
“Once I threw a few bullpens and didn’t feel anything, I knew I was back.”
He has a clean bill of health and is just trying to play catch up in 2019. Now he’ll be playing catch up with the Triple A RailRaiders. He was promoted last Thursday.
Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton, right next to the Delaware River, is about 65 miles southwest from the Bronx. Most minor leaguers come up through the ranks of A ball then Double A and finally Triple A. The majors may seem like light years away from the Bronx, but there are signs that anything is possible.
Surrounding the top rim of the stadium behind home plate are pictures of well-known Yankees who have rehabbed at Trenton. There are photos of Judge, Jeter, Severino, Sanchez and Gardner to remind the players that your dream isn’t too far away.
On the field, 25-year old first baseman Chris Gittens, 6-foot-4, 250 pounds of linebacker, is stretching. He enters the game with 19 homers.
“Hitting twenty home runs in this league is tough,” states Osborn. Plus, of his 19 homers, 13 have been to right field. Not a bad accomplishment for a right-handed power hitter.
“Now it’s natural for me to go to right,” says Gittens, matter-of-factly. “When I was in high school I had a knee injury and I was scared to pull the ball. My coach used to get mad at me to pull and I would never do it [but not] pulling helped out a little bit.”
His numbers speak for themselves. When the game with Harrisburg was over (a 7-5 win after trailing 5-1 after four), Gittens hit is 20th — to right of course — drove in another run with a sac fly (right center) and is tied for the lead league in homers and is first in RBI (70), OBP (.397), second in slugging (.510), third in walks (61) and fifth in average (.284).
“We wouldn’t be where we are without him,” declares Osborn. “He’s a stud. He’s probably our most consistent best player all year long. He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
The Thunder finished the first half of the Eastern League season at the top of the division and currently is in third place, six games out of first. Gittens only had about 100 at bats last year due to a nagging groin injury.
Gittens future may be in the Yankees organization or not. He’s Rule-5 eligible if the Yankees don’t move him to the 40-man roster. He’s not worried about his future.
“Keep doing what I’m doing and eventually they will have to have to put me up there or somebody will have to give me a chance,” says the Lilburn GA native. “The goal is the big leagues, but if they put me in Triple A next year I won’t be mad about it. It’s another step up.”
Pat Osborn is doing a good job as Thunder manager replacing Bobby Mitchell who moved up to manage Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 7-5 win was a sweep of the series for the Thunder at “Bark at the Park” day where dogs were let into the park. The win put the Thunder at .500 (26-26).
“This team is in a real good spot mentally. The talent is here. Hopefully, we’re heading in the right direction. We keep this up and finish August strong and head to the playoffs with confidence.”
The Eastern League playoffs start September 4th and the team has been playing well. The comeback win over Harrisburg shows the team is on the right path.
For most of the players, and even the manager, it’s a path to the Pinstripes or so the saying goes.
