Scouting Report

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

Johnson finished last season pitching in the same Double-A postseason rotation as Brody Hopkins and T.J. Nichols, the Rays’ top pitching prospect and their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. And you could argue that Johnson had a better season than either one, having posted a 2.61 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP with 149 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings over 26 outings, including 20 starts. Not bad for a guy who went 15-8 with a 5.39 ERA at Ball State and wound up getting picked in the 15th round of the 2023 Draft and signing for $125,000. But all he has done in the Minors is perform, especially after going from the Cubs to the Rays in the July 2024 trade for Isaac Paredes.

It's a pretty simple formula for Johnson. He’s a massive presence on the mound, standing at 6-foot-6. He has a short, low arm action that makes it tough to pick up the ball, and his long limbs create tremendous extension down the mound. Combine that with a mid-90s fastball that plays up due to his release point and the best slider in the system, and you get a guy who’s been able to dominate with two pitches. His fastball velocity dipped into the lower 90s last season as he took on a career-high workload, but he can ramp it up into the upper 90s in shorter bursts. And his slider is a monster, clocking in around 85 mph and producing a nearly 50 percent whiff rate last year.

Johnson’s changeup lags behind his fastball and slider with roughly the same velocity as his slider, so he got by against left-handers with the same two offerings that make him tough on righties. Control is an occasional issue as he walked 3.1 batters per nine innings last year, but he’s offset that by keeping the ball in the park. If he can develop a third pitch, Johnson seems likely to remain a highly effective starter. If he doesn’t, he already has the fastball-slider combination to be a nasty reliever at the top level.

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

Johnson didn’t have much of a high profile during his three seasons at Ball State, going 15-8 with a 5.39 ERA, and he had nearly as many walks as strikeouts during his 2022 stint in the Cape Cod League. The Cubs picked him in the 15th round of the 2023 Draft and signed him for $125,000, then watched him pitch well for Single-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend before trading him to the Rays as part of a three-player return for Isaac Paredes. Johnson kicked into another gear after that, posting a 0.78 ERA and 0.61 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and only four walks in 23 innings over six outings for Bowling Green to finish the season.

Johnson is big and physical, standing 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, but he has a short arm action from a low three-quarters arm slot. Still, his long limbs create a lot of extension, and hitters almost can’t pick up the ball until it’s coming out of his hand. His fastball sits in the 93-95 mph range and topped out at 98 mph last year, up from the low 90s during his time in college, and it plays up as a swing-and-miss pitch due to a flat approach angle. A mid-80s slider is his primary offspeed weapon, generating close to a 50 percent whiff rate in 2025. His changeup, clearly his third pitch, clocks in around the same velocity as his breaking ball, making him more susceptible to left-handed hitters.

Johnson walked four batters per nine innings in college, but his control also improved as he got into the professional ranks. Last year, he struck out 120 while only walking 26 over 84 innings. And he did a remarkable job keeping the ball inside the park, permitting only two homers in 24 outings (13 starts). He already has the fastball and slider combination to be effective as a reliever, and even the breaking ball has been good to backfoot enough lefties to hold off splits issues for now.

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

Johnson didn’t make much noise in his three years at Ball State, leaving school with a 5.39 ERA and 178 strikeouts over 157 innings, and his 2022 appearance in the Cape Cod League didn’t fare better (4.98 ERA, 19 strikeouts, 15 walks in 21 2/3 innings). The Cubs selected the right-hander in the 15th round last year, signed him for $125,000 and saw him take off in his first full season with a 3.54 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 61 innings between Single-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend. The Rays picked him up as part of the Isaac Paredes trade at the Deadline and saw him continue that momentum with High-A Bowling Green.

The 6-foot-6 hurler shows a short arm action on the mound but puts the ball right on hitters from his large frame. His fastball now sits in the 93-95 mph range (topping out around 98) after averaging just 92.4 in his final season at Ball State. The heater plays up further with a flat approach angle up in the zone from a low three-quarters angle, and low-level hitters have swung under it a ton in 2024. He plays off that with a mid-80s slider that dives gloveside and allows him to wear out the low-outside corner against righties. A subpar changeup around the same velo can be firm and has been a reason why lefties have performed much better against Johnson in his first full season. 

Johnson’s control has been better in the Minors than in college as well, and while he’s worked as both a starter and bulk reliever in both systems, there should be enough strike-throwing to get him more starting looks. Improving his third pitch will be vital, but the fastball-slider mix give him a promising relief floor. 

Awards

Baseball America Double-A All-Star

Year	Team
2025

SOU Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2025

SOU Pitcher of the Year

Year	Team
2025

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	RHP Ty Johnson assigned to Tampa Bay Rays Prospects.
	01/30/2026	Tampa Bay Rays invited non-roster RHP Ty Johnson to spring training.
	04/02/2025	RHP Ty Johnson assigned to Montgomery Biscuits.
	04/02/2025	Montgomery Biscuits activated RHP Ty Johnson.
	07/30/2024	Bowling Green Hot Rods activated RHP Ty Johnson.
	07/30/2024	Bowling Green Hot Rods activated RHP Ty Johnson.
	07/28/2024	Chicago Cubs traded 3B Christopher Morel, RHP Hunter Bigge and RHP Ty Johnson to Tampa Bay Rays for 3B Isaac Paredes.
	07/28/2024	RHP Ty Johnson assigned to Bowling Green Hot Rods.
	07/28/2024	RHP Ty Johnson roster status changed by Tampa Bay Rays.
	06/04/2024	RHP Ty Johnson assigned to South Bend Cubs from Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
	06/04/2024	South Bend Cubs activated RHP Ty Johnson.
	04/04/2024	RHP Ty Johnson assigned to Myrtle Beach Pelicans from ACL Cubs.
	07/19/2023	RHP Ty Johnson assigned to ACL Cubs.
	07/19/2023	Chicago Cubs signed RHP Ty Johnson.