Eddie King Jr. is a bright spot for the Bradenton Marauders this season.
Many players have come and gone since the Marauders’ Opening Day back in April. At the end of March, King Jr. was transferred from the Florida Coast League roster to the Marauders. Leading into Friday’s game at LECOM Park with the Jupiter Hammerheads, King Jr. remains a leading force in all offensive categories.
With 101 games played so far this season, King Jr. is hitting .262, has 90 hits, 11 home runs, 51 RBIs, has scored 60 runs, and has a flattering .809 OPS. King Jr., selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in Round 16 of the 2025 MLB Draft, has seen more playing time this season than what he was accustomed to during his three seasons at the University of Louisville.
Averaging 50 games per season in college, King Jr. appears to have adapted well to a longer, more demanding professional schedule.
“It’s all about making sure that you’re taking care of your body,” King Jr. said prior to Thursday night’s game with Jupiter. “You have to stay well hydrated in the heat here in Florida. You need to adapt.”
Growing up in Lynwood, Illinois (25 miles south of Chicago), for as far back as King Jr. can remember, baseball has always been his priority. Living in a small town and being a fan of all the extras afforded by visiting a big city, it was the support of his dad, Eddie King Sr., that made baseball come rather easily to him.
“He (Eddie King Sr.) started me playing baseball when I was five years old. We felt that we had something special. I could always hit the ball. I’ve never have really wanted to stop,” King Jr. explains."
With 15 games remaining on the Marauders’ schedule for the season, after Sunday’s series-finale with the Hammerheads, there is one homestand left to be played. After next week’s road series at the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, Bradenton closes the book on 2026 with six games at LECOM Park beginning on September 1. King Jr. has to be impressed with his rookie performance.
Playing three years for the Louisville Cardinals NCAA Division 1 program absolutely, according to King Jr., well prepared him for the next step: becoming part of the Pirates’ family in Bradenton.
“Playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), you play against professional types of competition. It was a really good choice for me to attend Louisville,” says King, Jr.
When not playing baseball, King, Sr. and the future Pirates draft selection regularly attended Chicago White Sox games. Cheering on the club on the city’s South Side was handed down from father to son. King Jr., 23, has many fond memories at Rate Field (then Guaranteed Rate Field). His becoming a fan of the Chisox was cemented during his participation in the team’s Amateur City Elite (ACE) program.
Progressing to one day being called up to Pittsburgh for his MLB debut and being on the Pirates’ 26-man roster when playing opposite the White Sox is what King Jr. labels his would-be “epic” baseball experience.
When the Florida State League season concludes, plans are for King Jr. to return home and train in Chicago with Jason Griffin. When spring training comes around in March, given his performance in Bradenton, King Jr. may very well start in 2027 at High-A Greensboro of the South Atlantic League.
From working out at PNC Park last August to progressing through high school and college baseball, King Jr. has no shortage of goals for his foreseeable future in Pittsburgh’s minor league system. There are those prospects in the Pirates’ system collecting headlines playing above the Florida State Level, and deservingly so, but King Jr.’s efforts as a rookie must move him up the list in importance.
Take notice: the kid drafted 473rd overall in 2025, along with treasured prospects such as Hernandez, Gray, and Sterling, King Jr. has put in the effort to rightfully join them.
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