Age: 28
Born: December 7, 1990
Lakeland, FL
Height: 6-4
Weight: 235
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Drafted: 1st round, 2012;
27th round, 2009 by Los Angeles (NL)
How Acquired: Draft
College: Florida
High School: Cocoa Beach (FL)

Photo © Dave Letizi

SoxProspects.com Links
Johnson ramping up (8.16.12)
2013 Prospect Preview
Johnson looking to put batted-ball accident... (3.22.13)
2013 Top 40 Season in Review
Dispatches from the Fort: Spring Training 2014 (3.27.14)
Scouting Scratch: Brian Johnson (6.30.14)
2014 Top 40 Season in Review
Johnson prepared to follow up stellar 2014... (1.21.15)
The Write-Up: Matt Barnes, Brian Johnson, Keith... (4.28.15)
Brian Johnson ignores the noise, dominates... (5.15.15)
2015 Top 40 Season in Review
Johnson fully healthy after season of... (4.6.16)
Scouting Scratch: Owens and Johnson (4.20.16)

Physical Description: Maxed out physically. Strong frame with thick lower half. Body that can withstand the rigors of starting professionally.

Mechanics: Stands middle of the rubber. Hands set shoulder height. Full wind up. High leg kick. Stands tall with good balance over rubber on posting leg. High three-quarters arm slot. Average arm speed. Compact delivery that he repeats well. Gets over his front side well and lands in good position to field. Works extremely quickly; gets the ball back from the catcher and throws it.

Fastball: 89-93 mph. Has topped out at 95 mph in the past. Has shown downward movement, but can also straighten out at times. Lacks life. Solid-average command and control to both sides of he plate. Average grade. Usually starts games out 89-91 mph, but settles into the low-90s as he loosens up.

Curveball: 73-76 mph. Best secondary offering. 1-to-7 break. Command and control to both sides of the plate. Will throw to right-handed hitters both down-and-in on their back foot and back-door on the outside corner. Average to slightly above-average offering.  

Changeup: 83-86 mph. Arm-side fade. Will throw to both right-handed and left-handed hitters in any count. Average command and control. Overall average pitch.

Slider: 80-83 mph. Early, short, cutting type action. Clear fourth offering. Mixes it in well to keep hitters guessing. Fringe-average pitch.

Career Notes: Two-way player at the University of Florida also played first base. 2012 season ended after he took a line drive to the face during start at Futures at Fenway with Lowell. Spent entire offseason rehabbing and unable to eat solid food, and lack of offseason preparation likely affected his 2013 campaign, including a DL stint that season with shoulder tendinitis. Elbow irritation in 2015 led in part to subpar MLB debut. Missed most of 2016 season dealing with anxiety.

Summation: Projects as a swingman with the potental to be a number four or five starter. Four average pitch mix with solid-average command and control. Lacks swing-and-miss pitch and a plus offering. Advanced knowledge of pitching and sequencing. Strong pitchability, knows how to pitch. Tempo pitcher that works incredibly fast. Impressive feel for pitching having recently committed to pitching full-time. Incredibly smart and has a good understanding of reading hitters. Gives his best effort every time with a fearless, determined approach.