{"id":795437,"date":"2026-09-03T05:42:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T05:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/795437\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T05:42:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T05:42:24","slug":"blue-jays-prospect-johnny-king-turning-heads-in-first-double-a-stint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/795437\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays Prospect Johnny King Turning Heads in First Double-A Stint"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the Toronto Blue Jays’ top pitching prospects, left-hander Johnny King, just threw arguably his best start yet at Double-A. <\/p>\n

King, Toronto’s No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline<\/a>, tossed five shutout innings for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Wednesday. The 20-year-old gave up no runs on three hits and one walk while striking out eight<\/a> in New Hampshire’s 1-0 loss to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This performance marks King’s second consecutive scoreless outing following his recent promotion to Double-A. The eight strikeouts also tie his season high and represent the most punchouts he’s had in a start for the Fisher Cats. With New Hampshire’s regular season scheduled to wrap up soon, the Blue Jays<\/a> prospect will undoubtedly look to build on his recent success to end his 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n

How has Johnny King pitched in 2026?\"Toronto<\/p>\n

Johnny King, a pitcher for the Dunedin Blue Jays, warms up in the bullpen before a game against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at Hammond Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. King is a Naples High School alum and two-time baseball player of the year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

The Blue Jays<\/a> selected King with a third-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of high school. And so far, the 20-year-old has quickly climbed through the minors, making his Double-A debut in just his second season in Toronto’s farm system.<\/p>\n

Overall, King has a 2.91 ERA in 25 starts across two minor league levels this year. He’s also racked up 134 strikeouts in 102 innings this season. In 2025, the 6-foot-3 lefty posted a 2.48 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 61 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n

King began 2026 by making his High-A debut. In 21 starts for the Vancouver Canadians, the young southpaw had a 3.21 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 84 innings. That success led to the top prospect’s promotion to Double-A in August. And in his first four starts for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the left-hander has a 1.50 ERA with 22 punchouts in 18 innings. <\/p>\n

The Fisher Cats’ regular season ends on Sept. 13. Since King pitched on Wednesday, he’ll most likely make just one more Double-A start in 2026. Based on his performances so far with New Hampshire, though, the 20-year-old could begin next year at Double-A but quickly be promoted to Triple-A. And if that’s the case, a strong first stint at Triple-A could set the top prospect up to join the Blue Jays<\/a>‘ rotation in late 2027. <\/p>\n

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