Rays' Pitching Prospect Has Exceeded Expectations Since Team Acquired Him

Which pitching prospect for the Tampa Bay Rays has exceeded expectations?

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

With the Tampa Bay Rays focused on the offseason already after missing the playoffs, the team will be excited to see how some of their young talent improves during the Arizona Fall League and over the winter. 

The Rays are a team that has built their success on having a strong farm system ever year. This is a unit that generally has depth and high-end talent, making it one of the best in baseball. In 2025, that was no different with the team being able to see a couple of prospects rise in their ranks and a few get promoted to the Majors. 

As the team attempts to bounce back after missing the playoffs for two straight years, they will likely rely on their young talent quite a bit in 2026 to continue to take steps forward. This is a franchise that very rarely puts a poor product on the field, and it is impressive how they grow and develop players. 

One of their top players in the minors this year might not have been a draft pick of the team, but he has been exceeding expectations. MLB Pipeline recently wrote about Rays pitcher Ty Johnson being the best pitcher in 2025 for the franchise in the minors. 

Johnson Exceeding Expectations

2025 Prospect of the Year: Tampa Bay Rays

Ty Johnson (RHP)

Age: 24
Level(s): AA

Stats (26 GP, 20 GS, 110.1 IP)
2.61 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 2.33 FIP
8.8% BB, 34.7% K, .172 BAA

Runners Up: Bob Seymour (1B) & Ian Seymour (LHP)#RaysUppic.twitter.com/MX1IXQIR2g

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 28, 2025

While Johnson is far from being the top pitching prospect in the organization, there is no denying what he was able to accomplish in Double-A this season. The tall right-hander is the 19th ranked prospect according to MLB in the system and at 24 years old, is a bit on the older side for a prospect. However, he performed really well in the 2025 campaign, and a shot in the Majors might be coming sooner rather than later. 

Johnson was drafted in the 15th round by the Chicago Cubs and was part of the trade that sent Isaac Paredes to the Cubs. Even though he might have been a bit of an afterthought in the deal being a late round pick, he has shown a lot of potential. In 2025, he totaled a 2.61 ERA and a strikeout per nine innings rate of 12.2. 

While he might not have an elite fastball, he does have an excellent slider and has started to improve his control a bit as well. With one full year in Double-A, he could be a candidate to receive a chance at some point in 2026. Johnson might just barely be a Top 20 prospect in the farm system right now, but he could end up being a productive pitcher and was arguably their best one in the minors this season.