Johnson perseveres
Onetime ‘phenom’ likely to make team
BRADENTON, Fla. — In a sense, Brian Johnson is the last man standing among former Red Sox pitching prospects.
The names that were most often on the top-10 lists over the last decade included Henry Owens, Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa. But they have all moved on to other teams.
None have had substantial success. The best out of the group was De La Rosa, who won 14 games with a 4.67 ERA for the 2015 Arizona Diamondbacks.
Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman were once considered top starting pitching prospects in the organization. They’re now in the Red Sox bullpen.
And then there’s Johnson, the former 82nd overall prospect in the game according to Baseball America in 2015.
Now 27 years old, out of options and having faced a litany of dramatic experiences — getting hit in the face with a line drive during a Futures at Fenway game, overcoming anxiety issues to get back on the mound and living through a car heist in which a gun was fired — Johnson is showing tremendous promise.
He might not become a high-end starter, like many thought Owens, Webster and De La Rosa might be. But he can be a No. 4 or No. 5, good enough to make this Red Sox team out of camp and provide valuable innings while other injured pitchers return to good health.
“He’s been solid,” manager Alex Cora said. “He goes about his work. He understands who he is. He doesn’t want to be somebody else. We’ve got three great lefties on this team and he doesn’t want to be those guys. He understands that he pitches at 90, 91 mph and he needs to change speeds to get his outs. That’s what impresses me. In an era where everyone is throwing hard, he’s still pitching and that’s good.”
After striking out 10 in 41⁄3 innings during a minor league game his last time out, Johnson took the mound for the Red Sox against the Pirates yesterday and kept his fastball at a steady 89 mph.
That’s 2 mph above his average velocity over five big league starts last season.
The speed matters less when Johnson is actually spotting his fastball, which he did with great precision yesterday, walking only one and giving up just a pair of singles in four scoreless innings.
“Fastball command was there,” he said, lowering his ERA to 2.45 in 11 innings this spring.
It hasn’t always been. Johnson walked a mediocre 3.1 batters per nine innings in the minor leagues. When he leaves that 89mph pitch in bad location, sluggers usually don’t miss.
This spring, with the help of pitching coach Dana LeVangie, pitching analytics guru Brian Bannister and bullpen coach Craig Bjornson, Johnson developed a new hitch in his delivery that’s helping him fire fastballs more accurately.
As he’s winding up, he shows his back to the hitter for just a second.
“I worked on deception and turning a little bit, because obviously I don’t throw super hard,” he said. “Or hard at all.
“I worked on my deception and it’s really helping me on my timing. That little turn, it’s like a little click I have. It really gets me in a rhythm and it’s been helping me out. When I start to miss a couple in a row I know it has something to do with that, so it’s an easy fix. Once you know start to know your delivery and you know your fix, it’s much easier.”
And then there’s his curveball.
The looping 12-6 deuce is Johnson’s signature pitch. He’s put together some sparkling seasons in the minor leagues and, ever since he made his MLB debut in 2015, he’s used it to induce some awful swings out of big leaguers.
He fooled Pirates star outfielder Gregory Polanco on his secondary offering and struck him out looking in the first inning yesterday.
“Yeah I got some soft contact (yesterday) on it,” Johnson said. “But the biggest step for me is my slider has been really good to righties and lefties. Usually it’s just a lefties pitch but I’ve been throwing it to a lot of righties. It’s been helping me out.”
With Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz all questionable for the starting rotation when the regular season begins, Johnson appears locked into a starting role to begin the season.
And he could always provide length out of a bullpen role when others return to health.
“If they come back and it leaves me in a different situation, then it is what it is,” Johnson said. “But I never wish injury upon anybody and I hope those guys come back stronger than ever.”
Stronger than ever might be a good description for Johnson right now.