Ryan Johnson proving he can still be a major arm for the Angels

When the Angels announced their Opening Day roster, one of the surprises was Ryan Johnson's inclusion in the bullpen. After being drafted in 2024, the Angels opted to let Johnson rest rather than send him to the minor leagues. After a solid Spring Training, he was apart of the major league roster despite never seeing a minor league appearance.

And while he worked his way into the hearts of Halo fans rather quickly with his aggressive antics and impressive movement on his pitches, the results just weren't there for Johnson and the Angels. He posted a 7.36 ERA in 14.2 innings. While his 16 strikeouts pointed to potential improvement as a reliever if he remained the Anaheim, the Angels decided it best to return him to the minor leagues and focus on his development as a starting pitchers.

After reporting to the High-A affiliated Tri-City Dust Devils, Johnson returned to his old collegiate role of starting games. In his final season of college ball, Johnson 16 games, striking out 151 hitters in just over 100 innings pitched. The impressive senior season is what led to him being drafted 74th overall despite worries about his longevity as a starter.

While he was not an immediate success in the minor leagues, Thompson is finally hitting his stride after getting stretched out as a starter over the past month. He has gone deeper into the game in each start, while also posting better results every time he takes the mound. He pitched six full innings in his last start, allowing only four hits. One of those hits was a solo home run, but Johnson was also able to strike out ten batters for the first time since his college days.

Johnson also threw 76 pitches, pointing towards development in his stamina and durability as a starter. While pitching in the major leagues was a fun storyline and, at times, looked like a worthwhile move, his ability to focus solely on his development in the minor leagues is proving to be a huge bonus for the Halos' seventh best prospect (per MLB.com).

The Angels have, regrettably, often taken their top pitching prospects out of their development cycles in order to provide relief at the MLB level. Caden Dana and Sam Aldegheri both lost momentum in order to get shelled in the big league for one appearance before being sent back down. Given that Johnson was already given an extended run with the Halos, one can hope that he'll be allowed to develop through the minor league levels naturally rather than being plucked back to The Big A as a reliever.

If Johnson is given the opportunity to fully develop as a starter, he offers big time upside the Angels may not find anywhere else (other than the MLB draft). And while Perry Minasian and Co. may be tempted to bring Johnson back to the big leagues if he keeps pitching well, it is best for the future of the organization if Johnson can continue dominating minor league bats for the rest of the 2025 season.

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