It’s already been quite the year for Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospects.
After the 2024 season saw several touted young arms suffer significant injuries or regress considerably, the organization has experienced a notable resurgence on that front in the first half of the ’25 campaign, led by the likes of Trey Yesavage, Khal Stephen, Gage Stanifer, Juaron Watts-Brown, and many others.
But another talented hurler who’s stood out in significant fashion is left-hander Johnny King, who’s reportedly off to single-A Dunedin after dominating the Florida Complex League, as first reported by MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
King, the franchise’s third-round selection last summer, joining Yesavage and Stephen as ’24 draftees, has been dominant to start his professional career. Even at 18, the young southpaw was electric across seven outings (five starts) in rookie ball, pitching to a sensational 1.13 ERA and 1.73 FIP with 41 strikeouts and only seven walks across 24.0 innings.
The Naples HS standout — who’ll turn 19 next month — also did an excellent job at keeping balls on the ground, inducing a 59.1-per-cent clip that was crucial to his zero home runs allowed in the FCL.
After building up slowly following his debut on May 10, King delivered the longest outing of his young career in his most recent performance on June 23, striking out seven over 4.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs (both unearned) on three hits and a pair of walks.
Advanced for his age, King has already emerged as one of the Blue Jays’ most promising prospects at the lower levels. While he’ll be one of the youngest players at single-A when he arrives, it’ll serve as an important step in his development as he faces older, more competitive hitters.
For a player as young as King, the organization will likely be careful not to move him through the system too quickly, meaning he’ll likely spend the rest of ’25 in Dunedin. There, he’ll co-lead a rotation alongside Landen Maroudis, Kendry Rojas and eventually Brandon Barriera — who’s still working his way back from UCL surgery in the FCL.