Nats' King seeks consistency during Fall League competition
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – It’s been less than 15 months since the 2024 Draft but the first round, in particular, is already putting the group in a rare pantheon of excellence. Nick Kurtz (No. 4 overall) clocked 36 homers as a rookie. Trey Yesavage (No. 20) made postseason history as a rookie. Konnor Griffin (No. 9) ascended to No. 1 overall prospect status.
In total, six players of the first 20 picks from that year’s class have already made their Major League debuts.
But an upward ascending arrow hasn’t been Seaver King’s story. The 10th overall pick scuffled at the dish in his first full pro campaign, slashing .244/.294/.337 between High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg. Although if you watched Wednesday’s 12-3 win for Scottsdale over Salt River at Scottsdale Stadium, you’d never know he spent the summer trying to find that one elusive thing that every hitter seeks:
Consistency.
An overwhelming positive of the Fall League is that it gives players a chance to rub elbows with the elite of the Minor Leagues. King jogged out to shortstop Wednesday and saw Kevin McGonigle, the top prospect in the Tigers system and the No. 2 overall talent in the sport, standing next to him at third. The two hit back-to-back in the heart of the Scorpions’ order.
“I was trying to figure out the swing and everything else,” King said of his time with Wilmington and Harrisburg, “but at the end of the day, like Kevin McGonigle told me: ‘It's never the swing. It's always pitches and timing and all those things.’ So he kind of simplified it for me today and you know, it worked.”
It won’t count as his official professional best but King delivered a five-RBI performance for the Scorpions, headlined by an opposite-field three-run homer in the eighth. He turned around a 97.3 mph sinker on the inner third and popped it out at 103.1 mph off the bat, his third time on the night putting the ball in play north of 102 mph.
“I just want to hit the ball as hard as possible every time I go up there,” King said. “Obviously when the numbers are like that, you know I'm seeing it good and swinging it good, so I try not to worry about it and just play the game.”
It sounds simple: hitting from ahead in the count is a positive and yields better results. But it’s the grind of putting yourself in that position and then following through that can lead to the numbers not always stacking up. During the regular season, King posted a .440 OBP and .912 OPS with the count in his favor. Conversely, those marks were a meager .196 and .410 respectively when hitting from behind.
So it comes as no surprise that as King got ahead in the count in five of his six plate appearances Wednesday, it led to a three-hit, four-run performance.
“I just want to be aggressive,” King said. “I like to swing. … So I'm just trying to get my pitch [moving] forward, as early as possible, and I did that today.”
There’s no doubt that King can hit. He amassed a 47-game hitting streak during his time with Division II Wingate University, before starring in both the Cape Cod League and with the U.S. collegiate national team prior to transferring to Wake Forest. His right-handed swing geared for line drives gave him some helium prior to Draft time and his all-around dynamics made him an attractive fit for a Nationals system that has long focused upon premium athleticism.
Named Washington’s 2025 Baserunner of the Year, King has been able to impact the game in multiple ways as a pro. He swiped 30 bags this year and spent all of his defensive time at the premium position of shortstop, an indication of how well regarded the 22-year-old is.
“He’s a leader in the clubhouse … you can see on the field, the way he conducts himself,” Eddie Longosz, assistant GM, player development and administration, said last month.
But few players can ascend the Minor League ladder without offensive production. It may not have come from April-September for King, but after a quick reset, October is off to a blazing start.
“I want to play ball,” King said. “I'll play all year if I have to. Getting a break [from the end of the year] and then being able to come out here with the best players in the world, I’m really grateful and I'm thankful for the experience and ready to keep going.”