Jared Johnson

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #209 prospect in 2019 draft
  Johnson was one of the most fascinating pop-up prospects of the spring. Because he didn't pitch in any showcases, he wasn't really known by many teams when the season began, but come March, rumblings of a 6-foot-3 righthander who could touch 97 mph in a tiny Smithville, Miss. (population of 947) started to filter through the scouting community. The recruiting war among Southeastern Conference teams heated up around the same time scouts started using Google Maps for routes to Smithville. Johnson ended up committing to Mississippi State and led Smithville to a 1A state title, earning a complete game win in the first game of the championship series and hitting a home run for the only run of the deciding second game. Johnson went 9-0, 0.68 on the mound this season, blowing away 1A hitters with a 90-97 mph fastball. He's understandably raw, and his velocity has varied from start to start, sitting 93-96 mph in his strong starts and 90-93 mph in his less impressive outings. Perhaps most imposing about Johnson is the ease with which he reaches that premium velocity. He has the frame to continue to get stronger and add more consistent velocity, and he has shown an ability to throw strikes. He throws a low-80s slider that will need plenty of refinement, but he already flashes a feel for spin. Johnson's short track record makes him risky, but he's a low-mileage, projectable arm without any major red flags in his delivery.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  The Braves were careful with Johnson's workload and pitch count, throwing him once a week or so and never letting him throw more than 69 pitches in an outing in 2021. His results were mixed as his command was very much still a work in progress, but when his stuff was over the plate it was impressive, with a fastball in the 95-100 mph range and a hard slider in the 87-92 mph range.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Johnson was one of the most fascinating pop-up prospects of the spring. Because he didn't pitch in any showcases, he wasn't really known by many teams when the season began, but come March, rumblings of a 6-foot-3 righthander who could touch 97 mph in a tiny Smithville, Miss. (population of 947) started to filter through the scouting community. The recruiting war among Southeastern Conference teams heated up around the same time scouts started using Google Maps for routes to Smithville. Johnson ended up committing to Mississippi State and led Smithville to a 1A state title, earning a complete game win in the first game of the championship series and hitting a home run for the only run of the deciding second game. Johnson went 9-0, 0.68 on the mound this season, blowing away 1A hitters with a 90-97 mph fastball. He's understandably raw, and his velocity has varied from start to start, sitting 93-96 mph in his strong starts and 90-93 mph in his less impressive outings. Perhaps most imposing about Johnson is the ease with which he reaches that premium velocity. He has the frame to continue to get stronger and add more consistent velocity, and he has shown an ability to throw strikes. He throws a low-80s slider that will need plenty of refinement, but he already flashes a feel for spin. Johnson's short track record makes him risky, but he's a low-mileage, projectable arm without any major red flags in his delivery.