Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | CHW | RHP | 25 | 35 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Ctr/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 30 | 55 | 50 | 40 | 40/30 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Anthony Franco
Age: 25 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 205 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 Round 5
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Listed at 6'3, 210. Long, narrow frame. Lean but toned upper body. No remaining physical projection.
Delivery & Mechanics: Short stride. Pretty upright and stiff throughout delivery. Front arm flies up before releasing the ball, creating a lot of moving parts and making it difficult to pick up the ball out of his hand. Low 3/4 arm slot. Front hip stays closed at release, preventing him from getting over his lower half and causing cross-body delivery. Well below-average athlete.
Fastball: 92-95 MPH in short stints. Heavy sinker used almost exclusively down in the zone. Johnson's height allows him to generate above-average downhill plane to rack up ground balls but it's not the bat-missing profile teams covet from relievers. Grade: 55
Curveball: Inconsistent mid-80's breaking ball. Seemingly looking to stay on top and create curveball action but struggles to finish, causing the shape to get slurvy at times. At its best, it's an above-average pitch but shape and feel for locating are too variable pitch-to-pitch. Grade: 50
Changeup: Sporadic usage of mid-80's changeup. Doesn't have feel for locating but occasionally flashes some arm-side action on the pitch. Grade: 40
Control and Command: Very inconsistent strike-throwing, especially with the breaking ball. Works down with the fastball with intent but too often misses his spots below the zone. Doesn't have much of an ability to work glove-side because of mechanical/athleticism limitations. Control: 40 | Command: 30
Overall: Added to the 40-man this winter, Johnson's a good bet to pitch in the White Sox's bullpen in 2021. He's probably an up-and-down guy over his option years. Johnson has really impressive career numbers, but most of that production has come as a college draftee in the low minors. Gaudy minor-league strikeout rates aside, it's more of a ground ball profile than one conducive to whiffs. Unless he makes significant strides with the breaking ball (already 25 years old and a below-average athlete, I'd bet against that), he's likely a platoon-challenged middle reliever. For a fifth-round draft pick, that's still a quality outcome.
OFP: 35
Role: 30 - Up/Down Emergency Depth
Risk: Moderate
