It’s been quite the week for Angels' Ryan Johnson

How do you follow up an historic first week in the Major Leagues?

Well, becoming a father is one way to top it.

Just last Thursday, Ryan Johnson became only the 24th player ever, and 1st Angel since Jim Abbott in 1989, to skip the minor leagues entirely and make it to The Show. Taken 74th in the 2024 draft, the most notable thing about Johnson on draft day was being a compensation pick - the only return the Angels got for failing to re-sign or trade Shohei Ohtani.  

Even that would have etched him into sports trivia immortality. His showing in Spring, his stunning callup, and his performances over his first three appearances in the Majors, suggest he might be on track to be something more.

On opening day in Chicago, Johnson made his debut with a 1-2-3 7th inning, including his first strikeout. What should have been a perfect day for the young man was marred by Ron Washington sending him out again in the 8th, where he gave up 5 earned runs on 4 hits. But if there was any hit to his confidence, it wasn’t shared by his manager, who sent him out in the 10th inning of the first game against the Cardinals, where Johnson picked up his first save. That was still in March.

April began with another extra-innings appearance, in another tricky save situation. That one was blown, but after a little help from Kyren Paris and Yoan Moncada in the top of the 11th, Johnson made it irrelevant by getting three outs over two frames, and his first win. Footage of him pacing the dugout like a caged lion between innings was even more evidence that Ryan Johnson had come to play.

So, fans heading to the Home Opener at the Big A would have been justifiably hyped to get their first live glimpse of the latest Angels fast-tracked rookie phenom. That wasn’t to be.

First, word began to spread that another young pitcher, expected to be starting the season in AAA, had a locker in Anaheim.

A bullpen reshuffle wouldn’t have been unexpected, as the St Louis series used up a lot of arms, and showed some cracks in the ‘pen’s ability to cover multiple innings. Or was there an injury? Given the team’s history, and penchant for not being particularly forthcoming about such things, that would have been far less welcome, but still far from a shock.

Turns out, it was something that Angels fans are a lot less accustomed to, early in a season – positive news.

Ryan Johnson is on paternity leave. Looks like all that practice he got carrying a whole sack of souvenir balls home from the road-trip is about to come in handy as he juggles an expanding family to go alongside his brand-new career. In a week already filled with indelible memories, this one deserves the biggest congratulations. Fans can now look forward to seeing what New Dad Energy brings him on the mound.

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