Shushkewich: King hoping to take game to next level in 2024
Okotoks Dawgs Academy alum Justin King (Lloydminster, Alta.) is hoping to continue his ascent up the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor league ranks in 2024. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs
December 19, 2023
By Tyson Shushkewich
Canadian Baseball Network
Every professional baseball player has a unique story on how they reached the professional level, and for Lloydminster, Alta. product Justin King, his story may be one of the most interesting for a Canadian baseball player.
His journey has included a stop with the Brisbane Bandits of the Australian Baseball League, following his first pro season in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization in 2022.
“I do not miss the spiders, that’s for sure,” joked King about his experience pitching in Australia. “Going from the locker room to the stadium, there was a huge spider web above the fence where the door was and I always made sure somebody else went first.”
Before joining the Brewers’ organization (and even playing baseball for that matter), King was a normal Alberta kid, drawn to hockey at an early age, donning a stick and skates instead of a bat and cleats. A hockey player growing up, King got his first taste of baseball thanks to Okotoks Dawgs legend David Robb.
“Coach (David) Robb came and practiced with us on Wednesdays during gym class and taught us a bunch of different things about baseball; how to hit, throw, and play basic defence at first,” said King. “That was my first introduction into Dawgs baseball and once I was able to join the Academy around the seventh or eighth grade, you couldn’t get me out of the facility at night unless you turned the lights off.”
King started out playing outfield and first base, a trend that continued into his post-secondary career at Indian Hills Community College following his tenure at Okotoks. Through two seasons with the Falcons in Centreville, Iowa, King slashed .326/.439/.700 with 18 home runs to the tune of a 1.138 OPS through 71 games and made just one appearance on the mound.
Following his time with Indian Hills, King took his talents to Alabama, where he appeared in 24 games with the Crimson Tide during the 2019 campaign, going 11-for-41 (.268 batting average) with two home runs and three RBIs.
“When I went to community college, the coaches asked me if I could be a two-way player and I said absolutely, anything I can do to help the team. By my second year, I was just hitting and I was totally fine with that. After I transferred to Alabama and started facing some premier pitchers, I was getting jammed a lot and my hands were killing me. Opposing pitchers knew they could throw inside on me and jam me up and I just wasn’t having fun in the batter’s box anymore.”
In his second season with Alabama, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and like many other collegiate players, King was on the sidelines as the program shut down for the season after a brief start to the campaign. The Dawgs alum was able to finish his undergraduate degree and also had another year of eligibility (due to COVID) and hit the transfer portal, landing at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. It was here that King started his journey to becoming a full-time reliever, a transition that was aided by the coaching staff and a fellow teammate.
“Tyler Lien helped me get my start as a pitcher,” said King. “After talking with the coaching staff with some encouragement from Tyler, they gave me a shot to earn a spot on the mound and they liked the progress that I was making and everything was coming up positive for me.”
That year, King amassed a 5.91 ERA through 10 2/3 innings, allowing 12 hits while striking out 12 batters pitching from the left side. The southpaw also took his talents to Battle Creek in the Northwoods League, tacking on another 11 2/3 innings to round out the summer.
Following the 2021 season, King was out of eligible years and was able to finish his masters degree while also working as a graduate assistant for the ULM women’s basketball team. As the calendar turned over into the spring of 2022, the southpaw found himself with a new baseball opportunity in the Frontier League with the Florence Y’Alls.
“I would wake up in the morning, get my work in at the gym, work with the women’s basketball team for most of the day, complete my schoolwork, and then finish off the day and continue to get my work in on the field,” said King. “When the opportunity came to try out for the Y’Alls, I drove down to Florence that spring and because I did not have a billet family at the time, I got there at two in the morning and slept in my car at the baseball field until one of the attendants opened the doors to the clubhouse at around eight.”
Spring training with the Y’Alls went well and King made the roster out of the bullpen, officially leaving behind his hitting days for a life on the mound. With Florence, the left-hander posted a 3.68 ERA through five appearances, striking out 11 batters compared to two walks and quickly started getting some attention from professional organizations. One of the organizations that quickly took notice was the Brewers, who offered the reliever a contract after just 7 1/3 innings in independent ball.
“It was a very surreal experience. I had a feeling it would happen if I could put together some strong outings but to have it happen so early into the season, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity.”
With a new contract in tow, King was sent to Rookie ball and joined the ACL Brewers Gold squad, making his first appearance in extra innings against the ACL Athletics on June 6, 2022. This would also be his first win, as he threw a scoreless inning that saw him put up zero hits and zero runs but hit one batter before getting out of the inning. He tacked on three more appearances with the Gold squad, striking out four while allowing one walk and three hits across 2 2/3 innings. King also made one relief appearance with the ACL Brewers Blue and five appearances in High-A with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers before the season’s end.
“In High-A, I noticed that the batters had a much more refined approach compared to Rookie ball,” King said. “Opposing batters were less swing-happy and just able to take borderline pitches, getting the count in their favour to try and get me in a bad count situation or get me to throw a fastball over the middle.”
That offseason, King was sent to Australia to get some more innings under his belt, an initiative with the Brewers’ organization where they send prospects to get some additional reps with the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League.
“It was an incredible experience and the league featured some talented players, as well as former big leaguers like Pete Kozma and Josh Reddick. It was a great learning experience while also getting to experience a new country and the benefits it comes with, like the beach and wildlife.”
With a trip to Australia in his back pocket, King returned stateside for the 2023 season looking to make his mark in the Brewers’ farm system in what would be his first full season in the minors. The reliever had a great start to the year. He didn’t allow a run until his eighth outing and also collected his first save, a two-strikeout performance against the Peoria Chiefs on June 3. Although King was cruising in High-A, the former infielder was dealt one of his first hurdles on the field in the form of an injury that required an IL stint in mid-June.
“I was really in a groove and finding myself getting into high-pressure situations with the team. I remember we were facing the Tigers High-A team (the West Michigan Whitecaps) and I was closing out the game, I tried to blow a fastball by the batter and felt myself straining my push-off foot and I knew something was off immediately. It was right then and there that I had to make the call of whether to try and push through it and close out this game but I decided against it, as I did not want to jeopardize my season because of this one moment. Afterwards, going through the rehab process with the team and the medical staff, the trainers kept me going and I was able to return just under a month later and I was happy to get back on the mound.”
After missing some time during the regular season, the Brewers decided King could use some additional reps to round out the year and sent the southpaw to the Arizona Fall League, joining the Surprise Saguaros. The team featured numerous Canadian affiliated players, including Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.), Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.), Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, B.C.), Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.), and Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.).
With the Saguaros, King pitched to a 4.26 ERA through 6 1/3 innings. Through seven outings, King allowed one home run but struck out six while posting a 1.105 WHIP.
“I was excited to get added to the roster and it only got better as the games went on,” added King. “All the guys I met were incredibly humble and to pitch alongside and face some talented competition was really helpful for my game. I did have to poke some fun with Damiano though, as we had a bit of a rivalry going on between the Dawgs and the (Vauxhall) Jets programs back in Alberta. Overall, it was a great experience and I think [it] will really help me take my game to the next level.”
The next step would be a move to double-A to join the Biloxi Shuckers, a move that could be in his future if he has a strong spring training camp. For now, King is in full offseason mode as he continues to work on the field to get ready for the next season. While he isn’t in Australia this time around, another successful season could see him rise up the ranks to join to fellow Canadian Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) in the Brewers’ upper minor league ranks.