Blue Jays: Ranking the top 10 relief pitchers in the AL East in 2023

8: Michael King, New York Yankees

Michael King has burst on two the scene over the past two seasons, with a 2.99 ERA in 114.1 innings pitched, and a 2.29 in 51 innings in just 2022. 2023 will be the righty's fourth season in the majors, and with some big pieces leaving the Yankees pen, he'll likely be asked to do a lot this year.

King has absolutely filthy stuff, like the type of pitches of hitters' nightmares. His sinker, which he uses 37% of the time, averages 95.5 MPH and has great horizontal and vertical break. It's deadly down and in against righties, and can also be used to steal backwards Ks. His slider, which he uses 30% of the time is one of the best in the game. In 2022, batters had a .130 batting average against it, thanks to its almost unbelievable amount of movement. It gets nine inches and 95% more horizontal break than the average slider and can have even the best hitters looking like they belong in A-ball. His fourseamer, which he uses 22% of the time, is really solid, averaging 96.4 MPH, and is great when he's able to locate it up in the zone. He's a little bit sporadic with it so it's prone to get hit hard, but if he can get ahold of it, it could be deadly. He's also got a changeup which he uses about 10% of the time, which is essentially just a slower version of his sinker and since he uses it so little, it's incredibly effective and often catches batters off guard.

He might not have the track record of some of the others on this list, but Yankees fans have high hopes for him, and it's hard not to agree. With a bigger role in the Yankees bullpen this season, King will have a chance to showcase his stuff and could prove to be the next big arm in the Bronx.