Rays Pitching Prospect Turning Heads Early On in Spring Training
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The Tampa Bay Rays have a lot of high-upside, exciting young players in their organization after stockpiling prospects this offseason.
Some of those players are getting a chance to showcase their abilities during spring training. So far, there are some who have stood out, but arguably the most impressive prospect to this point has been pitching Ty Johnson.
Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Isaac Paredes deal ahead of the MLB trade deadline in 2024, he quickly cemented his status as one of the best pitching prospects in the minor leagues. He isn’t even the highest-ranked pitching prospect the Rays have in camp; that honor goes to Brody Hopkins and JT Nichols.
However, Johnson is doing more than enough to stick out with his stellar performance. While Adam Berry of MLB.com believes that he will be one of the first pitchers reassigned to minor league camp so he can prepare for the 2026 season, he is making a great impression with the Big League club to this point.
Ty Johnson turning heads at spring training
“He’s 6-foot-6, so he gets excellent extension down the mound, and he throws from an unusual angle that makes it tough for hitters to see the ball. While he doesn’t have a huge arsenal, he has two pitches -- a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider -- that look like the real deal,” Berry wrote.
Through two spring training outings, Johnson has thrown three perfect innings. He has retired all nine batters he has faced, recording two strikeouts along the way.
Arguably, the most impressive takeaway from his performance is the quality of opponent that he is facing. As shared by Baseball Reference, his opponent quality thus far is 8.0. On the 1-10 scale that they use, that is Triple-A level batters opposing him.
For someone who has yet to pitch above Double-A in their professional career, finding that level of success in his first taste against higher competition is excellent.
Ty Johnson's 17.7% SwStr% was the highest rate in Minor League Baseball (min.100 IP) in 2025.
— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) January 2, 2026
The 24-year-old posted a 2.33 FIP over 110.1 IP while boasting an impressive 34.7% K% & 25.8% K-BB%, the highest marks in the Rays' system. A deadly FF/SL combo with rising velo. pic.twitter.com/J1zQwEPy3f
Tampa Bay could certainly be using this as an opportunity to determine where Johnson should be placed to start the 2026 season. He was excellent in 2025, pitching for Double-A Montgomery with a 2.61 ERA across 110.1 innings with 149 strikeouts.
That level of production earned him the Pitcher of the Year Award in the Southern League and certainly insinuates that he is ready for the next challenge with Triple-A Durham. How he has performed during spring training to this point only strengthens his case to be promoted to start the 2026 campaign.
With an extensive history of developing and getting the most out of pitchers, Johnson looks like the next player who is going to benefit greatly from the Rays' coaching on the mound.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.