With each passing pick and round in the MLB Draft, Eddie King Jr. grew more uncomfortable.
He’d felt confident going into the 20-round draft that a team would pick him, but he could be wrong.
And then, he heard his name called, and a wave of relief hit home.
King, a Marian Catholic High School graduate and University of Louisville product, was drafted in the 16th round of the draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was the 473rd pick overall.
“It was definitely stressful at first waiting to hear your name called,” King said. “It’s stressful; it’s nerve-wracking, but it worked out. I feel very blessed. I’m really happy. You’re waiting to see if your name gets called. You’re thinking, ‘Am I going to get picked?’ I got picked. It all happens for a reason.”
King played in 55 games, including 50 starts, for Louisville this spring, including leading the team with a .367 batting average and 19 doubles.
His stats included 17 home runs, 63 RBI and 46 runs as the Cardinals finished 42-24 overall and advanced all the way to the College World Series (CWS).
The CWS run went into mid-June with Louisville playing its last game on June 18.
As a result, King’s pre-draft process didn’t include any workouts with teams. Instead, he came home, worked on his game and anxiously awaited the July 13-14 draft.
“I was home with my family, girlfriend and friends, training and working out,” King said. “I was hitting with my teammates, too. I remember playing travel ball when I was 10 thinking of playing professionally. I always believed it could happen. I worked for it and made it happen.”
In a breakout season as a junior for Louisville in 2024, King hit .322 with 14 home runs, 43 RBI and 33 runs, but he was not drafted.
He returned to Louisville for his senior season looking to catapult himself into the draft conversation, only to see the start of his season slowed by a hamstring injury.
When he returned a few weeks later, he was feeling strong, but he re-aggravated the injury. When he worked through the injury and returned to the Louisville lineup, his vision at the plate felt as good as ever.
King said it was all about embracing a more thoughtful approach at the plate. A dangerous fastball hitter, he found hurlers attacking him more with off-speed pitches.
“It’s all about knowing what’s coming my way and what pitchers are going to throw,” King said. “It’s situational hitting and knowing what pitch is coming and then putting it all together. That really helped me as a hitter. It’s thinking a little but not overthinking. I was trying to hit offspeed pitches more, and then you see more fastballs.”
King saved his best for last as the Cardinals advanced out of the regional and super-regional to the CWS. In 10 NCAA tournament games, King hit .500 (18 for 36) with 5 doubles, 3 homers and 11 RBI.
He was named NCAA Regional MVP after going 6 for 12 with 2 doubles, a home run and 4 RBI and then went 6 for 10 against Miami in the super-regional, including a pair of homers in Game 2 and the game-winning hit in Game 3.
King said he felt focused throughout the postseason.
“I felt locked in. I felt more comfortable at the plate,” King said. “All those games, you feel like you’ve seen more pitching and seen all the pitches you can. You’re more comfortable because of that. You see the pitch and select what you want to hit. You try to do something special with it and really come through for the team when they need me the most.”
As a senior, King played 26 games as a designated hitter, 14 as a right fielder and 10 as a left fielder.
He flew to LECOM Park, the Pirates’ spring training facility in Bradenton, Fla., on July 21. King said he figures to be a corner outfielder for Pittsburgh, but overall, he’s just looking for a chance to prove himself.
Growing up, King was big fan of Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates, and he said he can’t wait to get to work with the team.
“I’m an all-around player who can do it all,” King said. “I can hit, run, hit for average and power. I’m very excited for whatever the journey is and for the new chapter to start.”