Biography
Bryan Dalton King (born November 5, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Amateur career
King attended Ponderosa High School in Parker, Colorado, and played for the school's baseball team. He enrolled at McNeese State University, where he played college baseball for the McNeese Cowboys. In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Professional career
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs selected King in the 30th round, with the 912th overall selection, of the 2019 MLB draft. He split his first professional season between the rookie–level Arizona League Cubs and Low–A Eugene Emeralds, accumulating a 1.88 ERA in 14 total appearances. King did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
King returned to action in 2021 with the High–A South Bend Cubs and Double–A Tennessee Smokies. In 23 appearances split between the two affiliates, he compiled a 4.53 ERA with 42 strikeouts across 43+2⁄3 innings pitched. King split the 2022 season between the Single–A Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Tennessee. In 14 appearances out of the bullpen, he recorded a 1.61 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 3 saves. King underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2022, causing him to miss the remainder of the year, as well as ruling him out for the entirety of the 2023 season.
Houston Astros
On December 7, 2022, the Houston Astros selected King from the Cubs in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. King made his return from surgery in 2024 with the Triple–A Sugar Land Space Cowboys, registering a 1.87 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 3 saves over 31 contests.
On June 22, 2024, King was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut the next day against the Baltimore Orioles, tossing a scoreless inning of relief.