DRAFT DAY DREAMS
Texas’ Ben Johnson will probably go high in the upcoming major league draft.
Ben Johnson has a dol lar figure in mind, but he’s keeping it under wraps for now.
“I’m sorry,” Texas’ lef t fielder said politely.
In 10 days, Johnson will be chosen in the major league draft for the second time in four years, but unlike last time, the offer might be too sweet to pass up. Johnson, a five-tool player in the making , has bolstered his draft status during his breakout junior season, which will continue Friday when Texas plays Oregon State in a NCAA regional at Dallas Baptist.
On a team where offensive totals have suffered across the board, Johnson has been the biggest exception, outhitting (.339), outslugging (.511), and out-stealing (16-of-20) all of his peers en route to being Texas’ on- ly first-team All-Big 12 selection. As recently as March 22, Johnson, the leadoff hitter, was batting .400 after 24 games. He began the season on a 10-game hitting streak and never stopped mashing, using an aggressive approach at the plate and swinging freely at first-pitch strikes. He’s walked a team- low 13 times, the same number of instances he’s been hit by a pitch.
And to think Johnson, a standout quarterback at Westwood High, once leaned toward playing football in college. Texas State wanted him for both sports, as did Rice. Georgia Tech and Kansas were smitten with Johnson. Eventually, Mack Brown’s staff joined the mix. In November 2011, two months after Johnson had committed to Garrido and the Longhorns baseball program, Texas offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin made a latenight phone call and offered Johnson a scholarship to play an undetermined position on the team.
“I got up really quick and was like, are you kidding me?” Johnson said. “It would have been a cool experience, for sure. Don’t me get wrong. But I’m happy with my decision to go baseball.”
As a high school senior, Johnson was selected in the 34th round by the Atlanta Braves, but would’ve been taken much higher had he desired to turn pro. This year, there’s no telling when he’ll come off the board, but Garrido said last week that he not only expects Johnson to be taken early but that he expects him to sign a contract and forgo his senior season. It would be bittersweet for Garrido, who calls Johnson the team’s hardest worker and its strongest member. He’s also the fastest. Johnson (6-feet, 191 pounds) can squat 570 pounds and guesses he can bench-press 340 pounds.
Up until a week ago, all signs pointed to Johnson and the Longhorns concluding their season at the Big 12 tournament in Tulsa, Okla. Texas had finished the Big 12 regular season at just 11-13, but took advantage of new life and put together four wins in a row to win the cham- pionship. Johnson was uncharacteristic at the plate, going just 1-of-13 over the first three games before getting untracked with two hits in Sunday’s championship game against Oklahoma State.
Absent a championship, the Horns would have been left out of the postseason and forced to pick up the rubble from a frustrating season. Instead, they have a further shot at redemption, and Johnson gets at least two more games to put on the Texas uniform.
“It’s something you think about,” Johnson said of draft considerations. “But you’re still playing for the University of Texas. That’s your first responsibility.”