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Nationals' Seaver King: Breaking out in Double-A repeat
Rotowire
King is slashing .295/.409/.602 through 23 games for Double-A Harrisburg with six homers, three steals, 23 runs and 24 RBI.
The 2024 first-round pick may have been the biggest beneficiary of the Nationals' overhaul of their minor-league development program under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. King's 1.011 OPS is more than 400 points better than what he managed in 80 games at Harrisburg last season, and advanced metrics paint an even rosier picture of the 23-year-old's improvement. Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, King's average exit velocity has jumped from about 87 mph to 93.5 mph, and his chase rate has dropped from about 38 percent to around 25 percent. The Wake Forest product is knocking loudly on the door for a promotion to Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' Seaver King: Finding footing at Double-A
Rotowire
King has gone 9-for-38 (.237) with only one extra-base hit (a home run) in nine games since getting a promotion to Double-A Harrisburg.
Prior to getting bumped up to Harrisburg, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft had been slashing .329/.351/.452 over his last 18 games for High-A Wilmington with an 11.4 percent strikeout rate, a massive improvement on the 28.7 percent K rate he posted in his first 27 contests this season. King's 19.5 percent rate so far at Double-A is a step back, but it's still a solid number for a prospect whose primary selling points as a dynasty asset are his hit tool, speed and potential defensive versatility.
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Nationals' Seaver King: Heating up at High-A
Rotowire
King went 2-for-4 with his first career professional home run for High-A Wilmington on Friday.
The 22-year-old had a rough start to the season, but King has begun to heat up at the plate. He's hit safely in seven straight games, batting .458 (11-for-24) over that stretch with four steals in four attempts and a 3:5 BB:K. After he served as a super-utility player in college, the Nationals have used King exclusively at shortstop so far since selecting him 10th overall in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, but that could change at higher levels of the minors. His speed and hit tool are assets, but King's fantasy value will ultimately depend on how much power he develops as he moves up the ladder.
