After a rocky High-A debut earlier in the week, left-hander Johnny King got back on track quickly during his second career start with the Vancouver Canadians on Sunday, dominating the Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants) across three innings of one-hit ball.

The Toronto Blue Jays prospect, ranked fourth in the organization by MLB Pipeline, retired nine of the 11 batters he faced — five via strikeout (four swinging) — while allowing just one hit and walk apiece before departing after the third inning. He topped out at 49 pitches, landing 36 for strikes in his impressively efficient outing.

King cruised through every inning except for the second, where he successfully worked around a single and a free pass without allowing a run to score. He retired the side in order during the first and third frames, inducing four of his five strikeouts on the afternoon.

The differences between this outing and his Canadians debut, when he allowed one run on two hits and walks each while striking out three, were night and day. By far, the biggest separator was his ability to attack the strike zone consistently, which he did exceptionally well his second time around, throwing first-pitch strikes to all but three of the batters he faced.

That’s precisely what the Blue Jays’ brass are seeking from King in 2026, amidst his second professional campaign. The 19-year-old southpaw, who won’t turn 20 until July and is more than three years younger than the average age of Northwest League pitchers (23.1), possesses elite swing-and-miss traits but often struggled with command in his inaugural campaign last season.

Despite recording a strikeout rate of nearly 40 per cent, King also earned a walk rate of almost 14 per cent in 18 games (15 starts) between the Florida Complex League and Single-A Dunedin. All those prolonged at-bats largely prevented him from pitching deep into games, as he only completed five innings in two of those 18 contests.

But if he can replicate the formula from his most recent outing, the franchise’s 2024 third-round selection should be able to improve upon that total as he continues to face older and more polished hitters — following a similar pathway that his Canadians teammate Arjun Nimmala is embarking on.

Off The Roster is Toronto sports. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, this is the go-to morning conversation for everything happening in the 6ix – Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and everything in between. From breakout performances and questionable trades to throwback jerseys, viral moments, and the stories fans are actually talking about—it’s smart, sharp, and never scripted. Live weekday mornings on the Nation Network YouTube channel and available wherever you stream podcasts, the show delivers real opinions, real chemistry, and real Toronto energy. Missed an episode? Catch up anytime. Off The Roster—The new sound of the 6ix.