DRB Prospect Review: #26 Marcus Johnson
2024 was an injury plagued campaign for the 23-year old
Over the offseason, the Draybay community takes part in an exercise in which we compile a list of 30 prospects in the Rays system based on popular vote.
Now that the 2024 season has concluded, we can look back at these rankings and see how each individual player performed.
We have already covered
We resume the reviews at #26.
26. Marcus Johnson
The Miami Marlins picked up Marcus Johnson in the 4th round of the 2022 draft. Johnson’s time within the Marlins organization would be shortlived as he would be traded that offseason to the Rays inthe trade that sent Xavier Edwards to Miami. During his first campaign with, Johnson showed elite command and the ability to get the most out of an average repertoire, as he routinely delivered quality outings.
Before the Season
23 | 6’ 6” / 200
A | 3.74 ERA, 130.0 IP (26 G, 24 GS) 21.3% K, 3.8% BB
The Rays acquired Johnson shortly after he was drafted 112th overall by the Marlins in 2022 in a trade deadline deal that cleared 40-man roster space by sending Xavier Edwards to Miami. He was a projectable, 6’6” starter in the draft but had a short stride in his delivery that didn’t seem to take full advantage of his size. In reviewing tape from 2023, I’m not sure the Rays have changed much about his delivery (it’s possible he’s releasing closer to the plate, but the stride seems unchanged); the results came anyway, thanks to a quality breaking ball and change up that plays. He’s got low mileage on his arm, having been a starter only one season for Duke, and won’t add many miles this season either after requiring surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow this Spring.
How it Went
Entering the year, Marcus Johnson seemed primed to leap forward claim a spot as one of the Rays top starting pitching prospects. Unfortunately, Johnson opened the year on the Injured List after having surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. He didn’t make his season debut until mid-July. He would only make seven total appearances, pitching for the final time on August 20th. He was placed on the Injured List on August 22nd for an undisclosed reason, ending his 2024 season.
Final 2024 Statline
CPX: 0.00 ERA | 3.40 FIP | 25.0 K% | 12.5 BB% | .071 AVG | 13.6 WHIFF% | 4 2⁄3 IP
A+: 3.09 ERA | 3.39 FIP | 19.6 K% | 2.2 BB% | .289 AVG | 12.2 WHIFF% | 11 2⁄3 IP