After promoting Yeremy Cabrera to High-A last week, the Nats made another noteworthy and overdue promotion. Paul Toboni and the Nats front office decided the time was right to promote Seaver King to Triple-A. After a rough first full season as a pro last year, King has come back with a vengeance, hitting .336 with a .989 OPS in 35 games.
My favorite Seaver King stat is that he has gotten on base in all 35 games he has played this season. A big part of that is a much improved approach. Last season, King walked just 5.8% of the time. This season, that number has more than doubled, with the 23 year old walking 13.3% of the time. King is looking like the top of the lineup table setter that the Nats envisioned when they drafted him 10th overall out of Wake Forest.
In some ways, this breakout was a surprise. His overall numbers last season were not pretty. King hit just .244 with a .631 OPS in 125 games in High-A and Double-A. Once he reached Double-A, King really hit a wall. The athletic shortstop posted a .600 OPS in 80 games at Harrisburg last year. With players picked behind him like Cam Smith and Trey Yesavage thriving, it was not a great look.
However, this breakout was not a total surprise either. As some pointed out, he was starting to turn things around down the stretch last year. In September of 2025, King hit .341 with an .817 OPS. That was just an 11 game sample, and King was still overly aggressive and not hitting for much power though.
King also had a famously strong Arizona Fall League last year. Top prospect Kevin McGonigle gave him some hitting pointers, and those ideas seemed to click for King. Despite the strong finish to the season, King still had a lot to prove heading into 2026. He needed to have a big year to quiet the critics and get his pro career back on track.
That is exactly what he has done. He is showing the electric toolset that got him drafted so high. The raw talent has never been in question for King. He is a freak athlete with an intriguing blend of quality bat to ball skills and underrated raw power. However, he had not been able to tap into his raw power due to his overly aggressive approach and ground ball heavy spray chart.
We have talked about the improvements to his approach, but King is also elevating the ball consistently. His ground ball rate has gone from 52.4% last year to 40.6% this season. That is a big reason why King has 5 homers this year, almost matching his total from all of last season, which was six.
King still has an opposite field heavy approach, so that may tap into his home run totals. However, that approach will lead to a lot of doubles and triples thanks to his speed. King’s athleticism gives him a lot of versatility as well. He can play all over the infield, and can even play some outfield if needed. His defense at shortstop has been hit or miss this year, but he has the tools to play there.
I wonder if King’s promotion could start a promotion domino effect over the next couple of weeks. There are promotion candidates all across the organization, especially in the infield. This move could clear up a spot for Devin Fitz-Gerald in Double-A. If Fitz-Gerald leaves, one of Luke Dickerson or even Eli Willits could take his place in High-A. That would leave a spot in Low-A that could be filled by intriguing youngster Marconi German, who is performing well in the Florida Complex League.
King is one of the best stories in the system this year. He is a true success story for the new regime, who have played a part in turning around a distressed asset. Sure, you cannot give the new regime all the credit for this, but they do deserve a shout out. King looks like a different player, even from the one who had a strong finish late in the season.
He is finding pitches to hit and driving them with authority. King is also taking his walks, which is a massive step in his development. I am very excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for the 23 year old. If he plays well in Rochester, he has a path to big league playing time.
There is still a chance that CJ Abrams gets traded at the deadline, which opens up an obvious spot for him. Even if Abrams stays though, I think King can break down the big league door. The Nats have been a great offensive team, but they have not gotten much from their second baseman with the bat. Nasim Nunez is the primary option at the position, but with his offensive limitations, a bench role might make more sense.
If King continues to hit in AAA, he can go from a distressed asset to a big leaguer in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, you have to bet on the tools, especially when there are people in the organization that can develop those tools. Seaver King is a perfect example of that, and I am rooting for him to make the big leagues this season.
