Baltimore Orioles Rising Prospect Aiming to Pitch Into Opening Day Roster Spot
With all the talent littered throughout the Baltimore Orioles' Major League roster and farm system, there will be a tightly contested battle to see which players get the nod for Opening Day.
The anticipation for how Jackson Holliday performs during Spring Training to hopefully play his way onto the roster is off the charts.
Other prospects are hoping they can put together their own great performances to make the front office and coaching staff consider including them on the team when they open up at Camden Yards against the Los Angeles Angels.
One under the radar prospect who might pitch his way onto the Opening Day roster is Seth Johnson.
The 25-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline in August 2022 from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal that sent Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros.
Scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery when that trade went through, he's had to work his way back.
Johnson only appeared in five games during his rehab stint in 2023, starting at the rookie ball level and working his up through different affiliates.
All in all, he only threw 10 1/3 innings and had an ERA of 4.35, but also struck out 14 batters.
So, why could he make the Orioles' Opening Day roster when he's only thrown three innings at the Double-A level in his career?
According to Jake Rill of MLB.com, the organization thinks the future is bright for Johnson.
"Everybody in camp is intrigued by the potential of Johnson's arm and what the future could hold for the righty," he writes.
Earlier in Spring Training, general manager Mike Elias specifically mentioned the youngster when discussing "real interesting pitchers."
It might be too high of a leap for Johnson to all of a sudden be included when Opening Day rolls around, but there's no doubting the talent that he possesses.
He was taken 40th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft and is currently ranked as Baltimore's No. 14 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Johnson will certainly be a player to monitor during Spring Training as it seems like the Orioles view him as someone who could be called up at some point this season.
