Ty Johnson Is a Future Rays Star Finishing Near Top of Minors in Impressive Stat
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The Tampa Bay Rays have been a starting pitching factory in recent years. There have been some incredibly talented hurlers developed in their system that have produced some impressive numbers in their rotation.
In recent history, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow were both major trade chips. Shane McClanhan, before his injuries, was a multi-time All-Star. Drew Rasmussen was an All-Star this year.
Starting pitching looks to be a strength for the Rays heading into the offseason. Not only is their rotation talented, but outside of McClanahan, they have also proven to be durable.
Shane Baz, Ryan Pepiot and Rasmussen all made 31 starts in 2025. Had Taj Bradley and Zach Littell not been traded ahead of the deadline, their entire rotation would have made it through the campaign without injury.
Ty Johnson emerging as legitimate future building block for Rays
While the rotation looks set right now, Tampa Bay knows as well as any franchise that a team can never have too much pitching. Luckily for them, some highly-regarded prospects are making their way through the minor league system as well.
Brody Hopkins is the team’s top-ranked pitching prospect and was excellent at Double-A Montgomery this year. But, he was outshone by one of his teammates in some regards: Ty Johnson.
The talented righty was acquired as part of the trade package from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Isaac Paredes ahead of the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline. In his first full season with the Rays, he was excellent.
Johnson went 7-6 with a 2.61 ERA across 110.1 innings. He had an impressive 12.2 K/9 ratio, striking out 149 batters. But what stood out the most was the control he exhibited while possessing swing-and-miss stuff.
Ty Johnson has excellent command with great stuff
An eye-popping statistic shared by Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com was that he registered a 25.8 K/BB ratio. That was the second-best mark in the minor leagues, with a minimum of 100 innings pitched, behind only Jonah Tong of the New York Mets with a 29.9 ratio.
Johnson issued only 38 walks the entire season. He has full control over his arsenal, which is essentially a two-pitch mix he maximizes regardless of the handiness of the batter.
“Johnson is essentially a two-pitch hurler with his 92-95 mph fastball and 83-87 mph slider, but it proved effective against batters from both sides in 2025,” as written at MLB.com.
What a season for Ty Johnson in his 1st full year in the Rays system ❗️
— Ball State Baseball (@BallStateBB) September 24, 2025
⚾️ Southern League (Double-A) Pitcher of the Year
⚾️ Montgomery Biscuits Co-MVP
⚾️ 2.61 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 149 K in 110.1 IP pic.twitter.com/Y2ut0mq25u
The tools are certainly there for him to become an impactful player at the next level. He could position himself to be in the mix for a spot on the Big League roster, should the need arise during the 2026 campaign.
Starting the year with Triple-A Durham seems likely, but if he performs as well there as he did in 2025 at Double-A being named Pitcher of the Year, his minor league tenure won’t last too much longer.
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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.