Ryan Johnson Stats & Scouting Report

IP	9
ERA	6
WHIP	1.56
BB/9	2
SO/9	7

Full name Ryan Christopher Johnson
Born 08/05/2002 in Dallas, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 212 / Bats: S / Throws: R
School Dallas Baptist
Drafted in the 2C round (74th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 (signed for $1,747,500).

View Draft Report

School: Dallas Baptist
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 22
BA Grade: 50/High
Tools: Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 40. Cutter: 50. Control: 60.

A 6-foot-6, 215-pound righthander, Johnson split time as a starter and reliever in 2022 with Dallas Baptist but excelled as a full-time starter from 2023 onward and turned in one of the best pitching efforts in the country in 2024. He posted a 2.29 ERA in 16 starts and 106 innings with a 35.9% strikeout rate and minuscule 3.3% walk rate. Johnson works from a high-effort delivery that features an overhead windup, low three-quarters slot and short, slinging arm action that comes with plenty of recoil and head whack in his finish. He sits around 93 mph with a sinking fastball that will touch 98-100, but he throws a sweeping low-80s slider nearly half the time as his primary pitch. He also throws a hard, upper-80s cutter and will occasionally mix in a mid-80s changeup and slower curveball versus lefthanded hitters. Johnson’s fastball/slider combo and low slot create an east-west profile that results in plenty of grounders, but he also misses plenty of bats with his slider and has posted a strikeout rate north of 30% in back-to-back seasons. Area scouts tend to project Johnson as a reliever, while many analysts look at his career 5.6% walk rate, deep pitch mix and starter track record and would give him a chance to continue starting in pro ball. He’s an animated, high-energy pitcher who competes on the mound and should earn a top-two rounds selection.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High.

Track Record: Johnson’s father Jeff pitched for Dallas Baptist from 1986 to 1990, while his older brother M.D. set the school record with 29 career wins and currently pitches in the Marlins’ system. The youngest Johnson continued the family legacy at DBU and finished his junior year with Conference USA pitcher of the year honors after posting a 2.21 ERA while setting single-season (151) and career (341) program records for strikeouts. The Angels drafted Johnson 74th overall in 2024—using the compensation pick gained from Shohei Ohtani’s free agent departure—and signed him for an over-slot $1,747,500. Johnson pitched light bullpens after the draft.

Scouting Report: Johnson is a tall-and-funky 6-foot-6 righthander. With unorthodox mechanics, he starts his delivery with a truncated overhead windup with a sidestep before going into a short, slinging arm action from a low three-quarters slot, finishing with violence. The high effort has not diminished his strike-throwing and creates deception for his five-pitch arsenal. Johnson works off of his low-80s sweeping slider that flashes plus-plus. It’s a pitch he can locate for strikes in any count. His fastball has been up to 100 mph and sits mostly 93-94 with armside run, tunneling with his slider to give him an east-west profile. He uses an upper-80s cutter that flashes above-average as his tertiary offering, while throwing a fringy upper-70s curve and mid-80s changeup against lefthanders. He is a high-variance arm with a strong frame, durability and strike-throwing track record and chance at multiple plus offerings, but his violent delivery likely pushes him to relief.

The Future: Johnson will have to prove his unique delivery can work with a starter’s workload to reach his midrotation ceiling. If moved to relief, he could be a quick mover with a late-inning future.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55.

Draft Prospects

School: Dallas Baptist Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 22
BA Grade: 50/High
Tools: Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 40. Control: 60.

A 6-foot-6, 215-pound righthander, Johnson split time as a starter and reliever in 2022 with Dallas Baptist but excelled as a full-time starter from 2023 onward and turned in one of the best pitching efforts in the country in 2024. He posted a 2.29 ERA in 16 starts and 106 innings with a 35.9% strikeout rate and minuscule 3.3% walk rate. Johnson works from a high-effort delivery that features an overhead windup, low three-quarters slot and short, slinging arm action that comes with plenty of recoil and head whack in his finish. He sits around 93 mph with a sinking fastball that will touch 98-100, but he throws a sweeping low-80s slider nearly half the time as his primary pitch. He also throws a hard, upper-80s cutter and will occasionally mix in a mid-80s changeup and slower curveball versus lefthanded hitters. Johnson’s fastball/slider combo and low slot create an east-west profile that results in plenty of grounders, but he also misses plenty of bats with his slider and has posted a strikeout rate north of 30% in back-to-back seasons. Area scouts tend to project Johnson as a reliever, while many analysts look at his career 5.6% walk rate, deep pitch mix and starter track record and would give him a chance to continue starting in pro ball. He’s an animated, high-energy pitcher who competes on the mound and should earn a top-two rounds selection.