One of the more under-the-radar trade deadline moves the Philadelphia Phillies made was moving Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles. It came as a bit of a surprise to most fans and MLB pundits but made sense after it came out that Soto wanted out after not being granted a larger role in the Phillies bullpen.
Whether Soto deserved that larger role with high-leverage opportunities is a different story but when he was shipped out, Dave Dombrowski and the front office brought back two pitching prospects, Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace, who the Phillies were extremely excited about.
Johnson, a 25-year-old right-hander, was with the Orioles' Double-A affiliate, starting 18 games this year while posting a 2.63 ERA over 65 innings pitched. Over the entirety of his minor league career, he has appeared in 62 games, throwing 213 innings and pitching to a 2.83 ERA.
The numbers are impressive, and the Phillies were eager to get him to Philadelphia. But so far, the feeling has been mutual with the young stand-out pitcher.
Phillies' newest starting pitcher Seth Johnson is happy to be with the team
“It’s a welcome change and I’m happy to be here,” Johnson said last week while in Lehigh Valley with the IronPigs, according to Phillies Nation's Ty Daubert.
As good as his numbers were with the Orioles, they have been even better while he has been with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley team. In three starts, he has completed 16 innings and surrendered just one run for a 0.56 ERA. In those 16 innings, he has thrown 13 strikeouts and pitched to a 0.688 WHIP.
The stability of being in one place for a few weeks has really helped Johnson. From being in Bowie, MD and being traded on July 30, to reporting to Reading, PA for the Phillies Double-A affiliate, to then being promoted on Aug. 15, life has been a bit of a whirlwind.
“It’s been chaotic, but it’s good," the young prospect said, per Daubert. "I’m starting to get my feet under me, especially being in the same spot for more than a week. It’s been good.”
Phillies are calling up Johnson to make his MLB debut on Sunday
The Phillies are looking for him to move around one more time. After having trouble filling their fifth starter spot the last handful of times around the rotation, they are turning to their No. 15 prospect to see if he can continue his magic at the major league level.
This is one move Johnson is going to be excited to make.
The fans will be pleased when they watch Johnson pitch. He has quite the pitching arsenal and it will be on full display. He features a fastball that sits in the 95 mph range and has a ton of life and movement. He has a slider that sits in the mid-80s and a curveball that he uses primarily against lefties that also sits in the mid-80s range. His fourth pitch, that he uses the least and is still developing, is his changeup.
While the Phillies make their playoff push in September, they aren’t necessarily looking for someone to be perfect in that fifth rotation spot. With the results they have been getting recently, they are simply looking for someone to come in and stabilize the spot, to try and keep the team in the games with a chance to win.
After a roller coaster of a career as Johnson has had so far, he has a real opportunity to showcase his stuff on the biggest stage on Sunday.