The Toronto Blue Jays have made strides on the prospect pitching front: Trey Yesavage, Gage Stanifer, and the recently departed Khal Stephen being prime examples of the positive development in the farm system.

Another name on the list is left-hander Johnny King, who is starting the year in High-A Vancouver after making his pro debut last season.

Drafted by the Jays in the third round back in 2024, King took the mound for the Canadians’ home opener in front of a packed crowd at Nat Bailey Stadium while the Eugene Emeralds were in town. Things didn’t go the Florida products’ way to start the year, with King struggling to find the strike zone. He walked the first batter on six pitches, and a throwing error from the catcher on a steal attempt quickly had the runner on third.

He notched his first 2026 strikeout shortly after, but back-to-back singles and another walk had the bases loaded before King got out of the frame with two more punchouts and just the one run scored. He finished the day with a 53% strike rate on 32 pitches, and while King wasn’t expected to go keep in the game as he builds up to start the year, it wasn’t the cleanest outing for the left-hander.

While King has no issues with the strikeouts, his biggest hurdle throughout his first pro season was his command issues.

It’s not an abnormal hurdle for a prep pitcher turning pro, and King was not immune to the first-year walk problems. Starting the year in Rookie Ball and finishing the season in Single-A Dunedin last year, King pitched to a 2.48 ERA across 61 2/3 innings while striking out 105 batters compared to 37 walks. His 15.3 K/9 was impressive, but the 5.4 BB/9 across the full season is something he will need to work on as he advances through the system.

Starting the season in Vancouver is a massive step for King and any pitcher coming from the sunny shores of Florida within the Jays system. The Northwest League is widely regarded for being hitter-friendly, and in King’s case, he was playing against opponents who are anywhere from 3-5 years older, with the age difference being at -4.2 in this case.

Since the home opener, King has made two more starts and has allowed zero earned runs across 6 1/3 innings while allowing two hits compared to 12 strikeouts. He’s sitting around the 50 pitch marker over the last two outings (49 and 54), and one of the reasons his pitch count is a bit high is because of the K’s, as King has battled in a few at-bats to get the final result.

He’s allowed three walks during these past two outings, so the 6.14 BB/9 doesn’t look too flattering when you include the two walks from his first outing, but he’s not allowing the free passes to cross home plate and also has 17 whiffs across his past two starts.

The Jays will continue to take things slow with their fourth-ranked prospect, and there is no real reason to rush King in a Yesavage-like fashion when he is currently the youngest player in the league.

There’s a real shot King finishes the campaign with a couple of starts in New Hampshire under his belt, especially if he continues to rack up the punchouts in exciting fashion. Finding some consistency with the free passes will also go a long way, but for now, the Blue Jays and King have to be happy with how he’s started the 2026 season as a whole.

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