Ryan Johnson
Note: This page is for 2020s major league pitcher Ryan Johnson; for other with the same name, click here.
Ryan Christopher Johnson
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 6' 6", Weight 215 lb.
- School Dallas Baptist University
- High School none
- Debut March 27, 2025
- Born August 5, 2002 in Dallas, TX USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Pitcher Ryan Johnson went straight to the majors after being selected in the 2nd round of the 2024 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Angels out of Dallas Baptist University. In his last season in college he went 11-3, 2.21 in 16 starts, with 151 strikeouts in 106 innings. That gave him an overall record of 22-9 in three seasons in college. He had also played on the USA College National Team the previous summer. Before college, he had been home-schooled and played on the "Home School Texas Alliance for Christian Athletes" team. The pick used to take him was obtained by the Angels in compensation for superstar Shohei Ohtani leaving via free agency the previous off-season.
After signing with the Angels, Johnson was sent to the Angels minor league training complex, but was not assigned to a minor league team. He was a non-roster invitee with the major league Angels in spring training in 2025 however, and impressed the top brass during Cactus League games, earning a spot on the team's Opening Day roster. He was one of two players from the 2024 draft to do that, the other being 3B/OF Cam Smith with the Houston Astros, although in Cam's case he had played a few minor league games the year before, and was put in his team's starting line-up on Opening Day. For his part, Johnson started his big league career as a member of the team's bullpen. The Angels had a recent history of aggressively promoting their draft picks, with Chase Silseth, Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto all having been the first player from their respective drafts to reach the Show. He and Smith made their debut the same day, Johnson being the first reliever used in the Angels' first game of the season, against the Chicago White Sox on March 27th. He started the 7th inning in relief of Yusei Kikuchi with the Angels trailing 3-0, then after a scoreless first inning of work, was charged with 5 runs in two-thirds of an inning in the 8th as he gave up homers to Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa.
Both his father and brother had pitched for Dallas Baptist before him, and brother M.D. Johnson played in the minors.
Further Reading[edit]
- Jacob Gurvis: "No Minors needed: Johnson makes Halos' Opening Day roster", mlb.com, March 25, 2025. [1]
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