Faded top prospect showing off ridiculous velocity in dark horse Phillies roster bid

2019 first round pick Seth Johnson has had an up and down journey to the major leagues, having been traded twice and suffered through serious injuries as a minor leaguer. The 27-year-old’s top prospect shine may have diminished in recent years, but Johnson and the Philadelphia Phillies hope that the right-hander’s greatly improved velocity could lead to a strong 2026 season. 

Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays at fortieth overall back in 2019, Seth Johnson came into affiliated ball with loads of promise. The North Carolinian put up excellent ERA marks of 3.00 or lower for his three seasons in the Rays’ system, and began rising up prospect rankings. At the 2022 trade deadline Tampa Bay shipped Johnson to the Baltimore Orioles in a deal that sent Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros and Jose Siri to Baltimore, among others.

As the prospect centerpiece of a significant trade, expectations continued to rise for Johnson, and the right-hander found himself ranked among the Orioles’ top-30 prospects in 2023 and 2024. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery limited Johnson to only 23 appearances during his time in Baltimore’s system.

Monster velocity jump gives Seth Johnson a real shot at making the Phillies' Opening Day roster

By the time the 2024 trade deadline rolled around, the Orioles were buyers and looking for left-handed bullpen help. The Phillies lined up perfectly as they had a hard-throwing southpaw who had worn out his welcome in the form of Gregory Soto. In exchange for Soto, Baltimore parted with Johnson and talented young hurler Moisés Chace. The deal has turned out to be a huge win for the Phils, as Soto was unspectacular in roughly a year’s time with the O’s, while Johnson and Chace both have huge upside and rank among the Phillies’ top-30 prospects.

Once he arrived in the Phillies’ system, a healthy Johnson showed serious promise, working to a 2.74 ERA across five Triple-A starts. The club rewarded him with his major league debut, giving him the ball for an early September matchup against the Miami Marlins. To their dismay, the rookie was strafed in only 2 ⅓ innings of work, surrendering nine earned runs on eight hits and three walks. Still, the organization believed in his talent, and allowed him to compete for a bullpen spot the following season.

All told, Seth Johnson appeared in 10 contests for the 2025 Phillies, posting a 4.26 ERA over 12 ⅔ frames. When he wasn’t on the big league roster, Johnson posted similar results in Triple-A, working to a 4.75 ERA in 60 ⅔ innings. That largely unspectacular showing dimmed Johnson’s star in the eyes of many Phillies’ fans as their attention turned to sexier prospect names like Andrew Painter and Gage Wood.

Fortunately, spring training is a place where a young player can make an impression on his club and its fanbase, and Seth Johnson has used that platform to its fullest effect this spring. The 27-year-old has shown off an enormous uptick in velocity since games started, topping out at 99.9 miles per hour, just shy of the magical triple-digit mark and a huge improvement over the 95.9 he averaged in the minors in 2025.

The Phillies have a crowded bullpen picture heading into the 2026 campaign, with Brad Keller, Orion Kerkering, José Alvarado and Tanner Banks locked into spots alongside elite closer Jhoan Duran. Newcomers Jonathan Bowlan, Zach Pop, Zach McCambley, Kyle Backhus and Chase Shughart are set to battle it out with Max Lazar and Johnson for the last three bullpen openings.

Given the fact that Seth Johnson has a minor league option remaining, which means he can be sent down without exposing him to other teams via waivers, he seems unlikely to make the club out of camp. Other arms like Bowlan, Pop and McCambley who don’t have that luxury will likely get top priority. However, if Seth Johnson’s improvements are here to stay, and he shows the ability to be a legitimate weapon in high-leverage situations, he may just force the Phillies hand; and that’s a very good problem to have.