The Get I've Wanted From Tampa

[Talkin' Baseball]

He would have fit in this deal. He was ranked similarly. He is ranked #24 in the Tampa system compared to #25 for Ledbetter. His BTV is 2.6 compared to 2.1 for our new guy. Who is he? Ty Johnson. RHP 24 y/o 6'6" 205lb. Pitched at AA last year. 12.2 K/9

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

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.