Kris Johnson
| IP | 23 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.478 |
| WHIP | 1.826 |
| BB/9 | 5.087 |
| SO/9 | 8.217 |
- Full name Kristofer Michael Johnson
- Born 10/14/1984 in West Covina, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Wichita State
- Debut 08/18/2013
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Drafted in the C-A round (40th overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 2006 (signed for $850,000).
View Draft Report
With a month to go before the draft, Johnson's stock was rising as much as any player's. He went a combined 10-0 in his first two seasons at Wichita State and looked poised to succeed Mike Pelfrey as Wichita State's next ace. But then Johnson blew out his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery in April 2005. He returned to the mound in February, with Wichita State nursing him along with short stints in midweek games. By May, the velocity on his 88-93 mph fastball and his hard curveball had returned. His changeup is a solid third pitch, and while his command and feel aren't all the way back, he's still well ahead of schedule for Tommy John survivors. Few lefthanders in this draft can match Johnson's stuff, so he could sneak into the end of the first round. The Orioles, who pick 31st, are known to like him.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Johnson still hasn't regained the curveball and control he had before he underwent Tommy John surgery at Wichita State in 2005, yet he has moved swiftly through the system. He skipped low Class A in 2007 and spent the entire 2008 season in Double-A. Johnson has a good fastball for a lefthander, sitting at 90-92 mph with little effort and life down in the zone. He had the lowest home run rate (0.3 per nine innings) in the Eastern League last year. Johnson's fastball and changeup both project as future 55 pitches on the 20-80 scouting scale, and his ability to refine his curveball ultimately will determine if he becomes a back-of-the-rotation starter or a reliever. His curve had the makings of a plus pitch with power and depth before he blew out his elbow, but now it's more slurvy. While Johnson can hit both sides of the plate, at time he just loses the strike zone. He has a very lean frame as a 24-year-old, so he doesn't project as a workhorse, and if he can't keep his pitch counts down, he'll struggle to last past five innings. The Red Sox have several veterans and youngsters Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden ahead of him, so they can give Johnson all the time he needs to develop. -
Johnson got a huge wakeup call in his first full pro season with an assignment to the wind tunnel that is Lancaster. Like most of the JetHawks pitchers, he struggled to adapt, going 2-3, 8.76 in his first nine starts. Then he realized that he had to challenge hitters because nibbling and falling behind in the count had been disastrous. He turned his season around, going 7-4, 4.32 the rest of the way. Johnson wouldn't have lasted 40 picks in the 2006 draft if he hadn't been at less than full strength after having Tommy John surgery the year before. He's a tall lefthander who uses his size to throw lively low-90s fastballs down in the strike zone. Though he's still skinny, he generates his velocity with an easy delivery and has no trouble throwing 91-92 mph in the seventh inning. His changeup is a solid second pitch, but he has yet to regain the plus curveball with power and depth that he showed before getting hurt at Wichita State. A breaking ball and command are often the last two things to return after Tommy John surgery, so the Red Sox are hoping his curve will improve in 2008, when the operation will be three years behind him. Command isn't an issue, as Johnson can pitch to both sides of the plate and most of his walks last year came when he was afraid to go after hitters. He also did a better job of maintaining his delivery last year than he did in 2006. Though he made a nice comeback at Lancaster, Boston wants Johnson to show mental toughness from the outset in 2008. He could be ready for a breakout year in Double-A. -
The Red Sox considered taking Johnson with the No. 28 pick in 2006 that they spent on Bard, and were glad to get him 12 selections later. He returned to the mound just 10 months after Tommy John surgery in April 2005. Johnson is an athletic lefthander who throws three solid-average pitches for strikes. The life on his 88-93 mph fastball makes it a swing-and-miss pitch, and he backs it up with a hard curveball and a changeup. His delivery is both sound and deceptive, and he repeats it well. Boston is making minor tweaks to get Johnson to throw on more of a downhill plane so he'll be less prone to getting under and flattening out his pitches. His delivery got out of whack late in the college season, causing him to slide slightly in the draft. His command and curveball aren't all the way back to where they were before his surgery, but should be next year. He has had no setbacks with his elbow. The Red Sox kept Johnson on a tight pitch count in his debut, but will turn him loose in 2007 with his elbow reconstruction two years behind him. He may jump to hitter-friendly Lancaster, which will be a good test of his stuff and savvy.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Johnson returned quickly from Tommy John surgery in April 2006 and might have been a mid-first-round pick in 2007 had he returned to Wichita State. After making him a supplemental first-rounder this June the Red Sox handled him gingerly, limiting him to no more than three innings per start. He has above-average stuff from the left side, and the fact that he rarely went through a lineup a second time helped him post dominant numbers. Managers were impressed with Johnson's rhythmic delivery, which provides natural deception and makes his 91-mph fastball play up a grade. "It's one of those fastballs that just gets on hitters," Lowell manager Bruce Crabbe said. Johnson also uses a hard curveball and changeup, though he pitched off his fastball most of the time while continuing to rebuild his arm strength. As a three-pitch lefty whose above-average stuff is hard to pick up, his ceiling is considerable.
Scouting Reports
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The Red Sox considered taking Johnson with the No. 28 pick in 2006 that they spent on Bard, and were glad to get him 12 selections later. He returned to the mound just 10 months after Tommy John surgery in April 2005. Johnson is an athletic lefthander who throws three solid-average pitches for strikes. The life on his 88-93 mph fastball makes it a swing-and-miss pitch, and he backs it up with a hard curveball and a changeup. His delivery is both sound and deceptive, and he repeats it well. Boston is making minor tweaks to get Johnson to throw on more of a downhill plane so he'll be less prone to getting under and flattening out his pitches. His delivery got out of whack late in the college season, causing him to slide slightly in the draft. His command and curveball aren't all the way back to where they were before his surgery, but should be next year. He has had no setbacks with his elbow. The Red Sox kept Johnson on a tight pitch count in his debut, but will turn him loose in 2007 with his elbow reconstruction two years behind him. He may jump to hitter-friendly Lancaster, which will be a good test of his stuff and savvy.
