Blue Jays Prospect Johnny King Turning Heads in First Double-A Stint

He was promoted to Double-A last month

Johnny King, a pitcher for the Dunedin Blue Jays, pitched against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at Hammond Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. King is a Naples High School alum and two-time baseball player of the year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One of the Toronto Blue Jays' top pitching prospects, left-hander Johnny King, just threw arguably his best start yet at Double-A.

King, Toronto's No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline, tossed five shutout innings for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Wednesday. The 20-year-old gave up no runs on three hits and one walk while striking out eight in New Hampshire's 1-0 loss to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

This performance marks King's second consecutive scoreless outing following his recent promotion to Double-A. The eight strikeouts also tie his season high and represent the most punchouts he's had in a start for the Fisher Cats. With New Hampshire's regular season scheduled to wrap up soon, the Blue Jays prospect will undoubtedly look to build on his recent success to end his 2026 campaign.

How has Johnny King pitched in 2026?

Johnny King, a pitcher for the Dunedin Blue Jays, warms up in the bullpen before a game against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at Hammond Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. King is a Naples High School alum and two-time baseball player of the year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Blue Jays selected King with a third-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of high school. And so far, the 20-year-old has quickly climbed through the minors, making his Double-A debut in just his second season in Toronto's farm system.

Overall, King has a 2.91 ERA in 25 starts across two minor league levels this year. He's also racked up 134 strikeouts in 102 innings this season. In 2025, the 6-foot-3 lefty posted a 2.48 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings.

King began 2026 by making his High-A debut. In 21 starts for the Vancouver Canadians, the young southpaw had a 3.21 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 84 innings. That success led to the top prospect's promotion to Double-A in August. And in his first four starts for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the left-hander has a 1.50 ERA with 22 punchouts in 18 innings.

The Fisher Cats' regular season ends on Sept. 13. Since King pitched on Wednesday, he'll most likely make just one more Double-A start in 2026. Based on his performances so far with New Hampshire, though, the 20-year-old could begin next year at Double-A but quickly be promoted to Triple-A. And if that's the case, a strong first stint at Triple-A could set the top prospect up to join the Blue Jays' rotation in late 2027.