This 2024 Angels draft pick could be the next prospect to fly through the system

It's that time of year. Preseason prospect reports are starting to come out, and with that comes our opportunity to take a glimpse of how things have changed for the Angels system as the industry forms new opinions on these big league hopefuls after sifting through and synthesizing all the data from last year.

The Angels have taken a unique approach to their prospects over the past couple of years, picking near-big-league-ready players in the draft and fast-tracking their ascension to the bigs. The name on everyone's lips to do that this season is last year's first-round pick, Christian Moore, but there's another member of his draft class who could earn that same distinction.

Ryan Johnson was the team's third player taken in last year's draft, getting selected in round 2C and number 74 overall, which was the compensation pick the Angels received for Shohei Ohtani's departure. He's a six-foot-six pitcher who, despite not yet pitching a frame in pro ball, has risen up the Angels' prospect rankings.

Baseball America ranked him the Angels' seventh-best prospect, FanGraphs rated him number 11 in the Halos' system, and MLB.com was even more bullish on him ranking him fifth in the system.

The 22-year-old was the 47th-ranked prospect in last year's draft class and had a very impressive final season at Dallas Baptist University where he tossed 106 innings, struck out 151 batters, and posted a 2.21 ERA. Those 151 strikeouts made him both the school's single-season and career strikeout leader.

Johnson is known for his funky, herky-jerky delivery, low 3/4 arm slot, and having a penchant to vary his time to the mound. He has a five-pitch mix – fastball, slider, cutter, curveball, and changeup – with his fastball and slider being his best two offerings.

Scouts describe his fastball as having significant arm-side run that works well in tandem with his low 80s slider, creating an enticing east-west movement profile and playing nicely off his unorthodox delivery to add even more deception.

The fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s, but he can reach back and find another gear that nears triple-digit velocity. The rest of his offerings are more unclear, with Baseball America noting that his cutter is above average and his changeup plays well against lefties, while FanGraphs was less high on either pitch being a significant offering at this point.

Ryan Johnson could join the Angels' big league club as early as 2025

While he's yet to throw a professional pitch, there is some belief that Johnson could rocket through the system and make his debut this year. Some of that projection depends on how you ultimately view him, however.

The hope would be that Johnson could stick as a starter, though concerns about his delivery and arsenal beyond his top-two pitches may force him into a bullpen role. Baseball America noted that he could reach the majors as a reliever this year.

The Angels clearly believe in him as a starter giving him a $1,747,500 signing bonus that was well over his slot value of $1.06 million.

It seems like it's asking a lot for Johnson to rise all the way to the majors before first appearing in rookie ball, and it may not be the likely scenario. However the tall righty certainly has talent that has made the industry take notice, and it shouldn't be a shock to see him make a late-season appearance in Anaheim.

If he does succeed in rapidly moving through the minors, it's likely that he would pitch out of the pen during a cup of coffee as the team will likely want to manage his workload. If all breaks well though, he'll make his debut this season and be in contention for a rotation spot as early as 2026. If that were to happen, it would be a small consolation for losing Ohtani.

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