Jake Johansen
| IP | 350 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.166 |
| WHIP | 1.549 |
| BB/9 | 4.346 |
| SO/9 | 7.766 |
- Full name Jacob Tanner Johansen
- Born 01/23/1991 in Mcallen, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Dallas Baptist
-
Drafted in the 2nd round (68th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2013 (signed for $820,000).
View Draft Report
For a guy who can dial up a 99 mph fastball, Johansen doesn't make a huge impression on batters or scouts. He carried a 5-6, 5.68 record into the final week of the regular season, giving up 96 hits with 68 strikeouts in 78 innings. He usually pitches at 93-95 mph with occasional armside run, but his fastball is often straight, he doesn't command it well and hitters sit on it because he doesn't have a reliable second pitch. His hard slider is flat more often than it's straight. A redshirt junior, Johansen needed four years to claim a regular spot in Dallas Baptist's rotation, and he remains a project. He's an interesting one, though, thanks to his size (6-foot-6, 235 pounds) and sheer velocity. Better suited to relieving in pro ball, he has closer upside. Johansen might have gone in the top five rounds as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2012, but his asking price dropped him to the Pirates in the 27th round. The Mets selected him in the 45th round of the 2009 draft from a Texas high school.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
Johansen followed up his dominant debut with an uneven year at low Class A Hagerstown, but he finished on a positive note after shifting to the bullpen and carried his progress over into instructional league. Big and physical, Johansen has serious arm strength. His fastball ranges from 92-99 mph in a starting role, sitting in the mid-90s with heavy life when it's down in the zone, though it is very hittable when he leaves it up. Because of the life on his heater, he often struggles to locate the pitch, and his command and control are both well below-average. His 89-91 mph cutter ranges from fringy to plus, and it generates swings and misses when he throws it right. His power curveball has good depth and rotation about once out of every four times he throws it. He has some feel for a changeup, and it showed progress late in the season, giving it a chance to be fringe-average. Most evaluators see Johansen's future in the bullpen, where he can overpower hitters in short stints without fine command. He could make a permanent transition to a relief role as soon as 2015, when he figures to advance to high Class A Potomac. -
Johansen never harnessed his potential at Dallas Baptist, where he went 7-6, 5.40 in 15 starts as a fourth-year junior in 2013. The Nationals were pleased to land a player with Johansen's arm strength with their top pick (No. 68 overall), and his pro debut in the New York-Penn League was very encouraging. Though his command and his secondary stuff remain works in progress, Johansen dominated the NY-P with a premium fastball that sat at 94-96 mph with heavy sink and topped out at 99. He arrived in pro ball with a poor 74-77 mph curveball, but he threw it with more power as the summer progressed, coming in at 77-83 with tighter rotation at its best. He also made progress with his 86-90 cutter/slider and showed improving feel for his changeup, but all of his secondary stuff needs refinement. The Nats think Johansen is a late-bloomer who is still growing into his huge frame, but when he maintains a quick tempo, he can throw strikes and succeed. The Nats will keep Johansen in a starting role as long as possible, and if everything clicks, he has No. 3 starter upside, though many scouts see him as a better fit in the back of a bullpen.
Draft Prospects
-
For a guy who can dial up a 99 mph fastball, Johansen doesn't make a huge impression on batters or scouts. He carried a 5-6, 5.68 record into the final week of the regular season, giving up 96 hits with 68 strikeouts in 78 innings. He usually pitches at 93-95 mph with occasional armside run, but his fastball is often straight, he doesn't command it well and hitters sit on it because he doesn't have a reliable second pitch. His hard slider is flat more often than it's straight. A redshirt junior, Johansen needed four years to claim a regular spot in Dallas Baptist's rotation, and he remains a project. He's an interesting one, though, thanks to his size (6-foot-6, 235 pounds) and sheer velocity. Better suited to relieving in pro ball, he has closer upside. Johansen might have gone in the top five rounds as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2012, but his asking price dropped him to the Pirates in the 27th round. The Mets selected him in the 45th round of the 2009 draft from a Texas high school. -
From a physical standpoint, few college pitchers stand out like Johansen. He's a 6-foot-6, 216-pounder who works at 93-95 mph and peaks at 97 with a fastball that features armside run. At times, he'll show a sharp slider with late life that makes batters look silly if they try to sit on his fastball. Johansen redshirted in his first season at Dallas Baptist because he wasn't ready to pitch against Division-I competition, and he's still figuring out how to control his big body and his pitches. Command difficulties scrapped the Patriots' plans to use him as a starter this spring and limit him to a reliever profile in pro ball. If he can add some polish, however, he has the stuff to pitch in the late innings.
Minor League Top Prospects
-
Despite his bazooka arm strength, Johansen never harnessed his potential at Dallas Baptist, where he went 7-6, 5.40 in 15 starts as a fourth-year junior this spring. The Nationals got him to simplify his approach this summer, attacking hitters with power stuff rather than trying to trick them. Though his command and his secondary stuff remain works in progress, Johansen dominated this summer with a premium fastball that sat at 94-96 mph with heavy sink and topped out at 99. He arrived in pro ball with a poor 74-77 mph curveball, but he threw it with more power as the summer progressed, coming in at 82-83 with tighter rotation at its best. He also made progress with his 86-90 mph cutter-slider hybrid and showed improving feel for his changeup, but all of his secondary stuff needs refinement. The Nationals will work with Johansen on making some mechanical adjustments that could help his command blossom. Given his arm strength and lack of advanced feel for pitching, Johansen seems more likely to close than start in the big leagues.
