New Rangers Prospect Puts on Show in Arizona Complex League Debut

The Texas Rangers usually draft pitchers and don’t drop them into the minor leagues until the following year. So, sometimes people forget about them.

Jacob Johnson used his Arizona Complex League debut to remind everyone why the Rangers wanted him to hit the pro ranks right away.

The 19-year-old spent just one season at Pearl River CC in Mississippi before he was drafted in the 11th round by the Rangers. He showed off that arm talent and more when he started for the ACL Rangers. He went three innings, gave up two hits and one earned run. He didn’t walk a batter. Perhaps most impressively, he struck out eight hitters.

Jacob Johnson’s Impressive Debut

Jacob Johnson put on a strikeout show in his ACL Rangers debut ⚡️

8 K over 3 IP for the 19-year-old righty. pic.twitter.com/Xd2TyVIKzD
— Rangers Player Development (@TEXPlayerDev) May 5, 2026

The right-hander could have stayed in college. Juco players can be drafted and go to the pro ranks while four-year collegiates must wait for three years after starting school. Johnson would have had good reason to stay in college. He didn’t pitch in his final high school season after he had internal brace surgery on his right elbow. He might have had something to prove.

Turns out he proved everything the Rangers needed to see at Pearl River. In one season Johnson won 12 games, struck out 70 hitters in 71 innings and finished with a 2.28 WHIP. Yet he fell to Texas in the 11th round. Perhaps teams were scared off by his commitment to Auburn. Texas wasn’t.

After the 10th round, teams are only required to pay a bonus of up to $150,000 to players selected. The Rangers wanted Johnson so bad that they paid him a double slot bonus of $300,00 to get him to turn pro. MLB Pipeline has already named him a Top 30 Rangers prospect, as he ranked No. 27.

It’s unusual for a 19-year-old 11th-round pick to be a Top 30 prospect. But MLB.com’s scouting report may explain why. His fastball already hits 96 mph and its generating ground balls at a high rate. He has a slider and a change-up, the latter of which doesn’t use much. Both pitches are in the mid-80s and have plenty of action. He’s 6-foot-3 and scouts see a pitcher who can add more velocity.

Johnson is not going to make it to the Majors anytime soon. He’s still building arm strength after missing all of 2024. Texas has plenty of arm talent ahead of him. Six of their top seven prospects are pitchers, including two-way prospect Josh Owens. But if Johnson’s debut is any indication of what Texas has drafted, it’s possible Johnson heads to Class-A Hickory after his time in the ACL is done in August.

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