Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50

King was still just 17 years old when the Blue Jays selected him in the third round of the 2024 Draft and signed him for an above-slot deal at $1,247,500. Given his age and physical projection as a 6-foot-4, 210-pound lefty, the Blue Jays were thrilled to land such a high-upside project for their development staff, chasing another early-career jump like Ricky Tiedemann and Landen Maroudis experienced prior to their injuries. There are years of development ahead for King, but his long-term upside rivals nearly anyone in the organization.

King’s profile leads with his fastball, which lives in the lower-90s for now and touches 95-96 mph with good ride and run. His curveball is his best secondary pitch at this point, and it has nasty two-plane spin in the 78-81 mph range and projects to be a legitimate out pitch for him. King needs to develop a third pitch, though, which will be priority No. 1 as he works with the development staff in the coming years. He's very rarely gone to an 89-91 mph changeup, and that'll remain a developmental focus.

A terrific athlete who was the best hitter on his high school team and could be a position player prospect if he focused on that, King does have a lot of energy and effort in his delivery, and not all scouts like his arm action. That’s why King’s strike-throwing will be key to watch over his early years as a pro, but all of the building blocks are there for the young lefty to develop into a mid-rotation starter down the road. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

As baseball has raced into the analytics era, one thing that makes a team’s Draft model very happy is a young Draft-eligible player. When that player is a left-handed pitcher with potential plus stuff, that’s even better. King, who was generating a lot of buzz as the spring progressed in Naples, Florida, ticks off a lot of those boxes as a southpaw with electric offerings who was just 17 years old when the Draft rolled around. The Blue Jays selected him in the third round and signed him for above slot at $1,247,500.

King is tall and athletic with an NFL quarterback kind of build. The 6-foot-4 southpaw could eventually have three plus pitches in his arsenal. He already can miss bats with a lively fastball that sits in the low 90s and will touch 94-95 mph regularly, and it’s easy to envision him throwing harder given his frame and already upward trajectory. He combines it with what is often a nasty high-spin power curve thrown typically in the upper 70s that can be a true out pitch. He will use a harder slurve to finish off left-handed hitters, and while his changeup is developing, he shows feel for it and throws it with excellent arm speed.

A terrific athlete who was the best hitter on his high school team and could be a position player prospect if he focused on that, King does have a lot of energy and effort in his delivery, and not all scouts like his arm action. That can impact his command, though many scouts think the former Miami recruit will be able to find a repeatable delivery and throw enough strikes at the next level, with a ceiling as a mid-rotation starter.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

As baseball has raced into the analytics era, one thing that makes a team’s Draft model very happy is a young Draft-eligible player. When that player is a left-handed pitcher with potential plus stuff, that’s even better. King, who was generating a lot of buzz as the spring progressed in Naples, Florida, ticks off a lot of those boxes as a southpaw with electric offerings who will still be just 17 years old when the Draft rolls around.

King is tall and athletic with an NFL quarterback kind of build. The 6-foot-4 southpaw could eventually have three plus pitches in his arsenal. He already can miss bats with a lively fastball that sits in the low 90s and will touch 94-95 mph regularly, and it’s easy to envision him throwing harder given his frame and already upward trajectory. He combines it with what is often a nasty high-spin power curve thrown typically in the upper 70s that can be a true out pitch. He will use a harder slurve to finish off left-handed hitters, and while his changeup is developing, he shows feel for it and throws it with excellent arm speed.

A terrific athlete who is the best hitter on his team and could be a position player prospect if he focused on that, King does have a lot of energy and effort in his delivery, and not all scouts like his arm action. That can impact his command, though many scouts think the Miami recruit will be able to find a repeatable delivery and throw enough strikes at the next level, with a ceiling as a mid-rotation starter.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	06/29/2025	LHP Johnny King assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays.
	03/06/2025	activated LHP Johnny King.
	08/05/2024	LHP Johnny King assigned to FCL Blue Jays.
	07/21/2024	Toronto Blue Jays signed LHP Johnny King.
	07/21/2024	LHP Johnny King roster status changed by Toronto Blue Jays.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated LHP Johnny King.
	09/26/2023	LHP Johnny King assigned to High School Workout.
	05/17/2022	RHP Johnny King, , and assigned to High School Workout.