SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers right-hander Jacob Johnson was pretty content with how his first season of pro ball was ending. He had thrown five no-hit innings for Single-A Hickory in just his sixth outing at the level after having spent most of the year in the Arizona Complex League.
That stint had been interrupted by a scapula stress reaction in June, so the healthy win for the Crawdads seemed like a terrific exclamation point for the 2025 11th-round pick out of Pearl River (Miss.) Community College. What he didn’t know at the time was that he wasn’t done pitching for the year.
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“It was actually awesome, it was kind of a surprise,” the Rangers’ No. 17 prospect said. “The way I was told, our clubhouse manager in Arizona calls me and he’s like, ‘I need to start ordering your stuff.’ I was like, ‘Stuff for what?’ He said, ‘Fall League,’ and I said ‘Oh!’ I was shocked because nobody else had told me yet. It was a nice feeling.”
Johnson turned in his second scoreless outing of the fall on Sunday night for the Surprise Saguaros, going 2 1/3 hitless frames in a 5-4 win over the Glendale Desert Dogs. He threw 40 pitches, 22 for strikes, although his command needed some refinement.
He’s now thrown 4 1/3 total innings over his two appearances, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out three. It’s impressive not only because he’s the second youngest pitcher in the Fall League, behind only Briggs McKenzie (ATL No. 8), but also because the 6-foot-3 165-pound hurler is working on tweaking and expanding his repertoire in the midst of competition.
“I’m throwing a new changeup grip, started throwing it two weeks ago, right before the season started, and I’m also working on a cutter now,” explained Johnson, who also showcased a sinking fastball up to 95 mph along with a low-80s slider. “It’s working pretty well.
“I think I threw three changeups, four changeups last week. They were good. No cutters last week, but I worked in some cutters today and they were really good. The changeup was really good today. I’m still able to get outs with the pitches so it’s nice.”
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It’s also been good for Johnson to be around other members of the Saguaros pitching staff. The arms joining him in Surprise range from two to six years older than he is, with some having reached as high as Triple-A.
“I talk to our older guys all the time,” Johnson said. “Obviously, they’ve been here longer than I have. This is my first full year of pro ball. I still have a lot to learn, those guys still have a lot to learn, but being able to talk to them and ask them questions has been really helpful.”
The Mississippi native had thrown well during his first full season over 43 combined innings (25 1/3 in the ACL), finishing with a 2.51 ERA, .193 average-against, 10.0 K/9 (vs. 5.2 BB/9) and a 1.78 GO/AO ratio. The scap injury sidelined him and the Rangers were probably proceeding cautiously considering he had internal brace surgery his senior year of high school and had thrown 71 innings at Pearl River the following season. The hope is the gloves can come off a bit more in 2027, with this fall experience serving as a perfect stepping stone.
“I was in [Single]-A this year,” Johnson said. “The goal would be to start in High-A next year, chance to make it to Double-A. I’m hoping I can prove myself and make that happen next year.”