Seth Johnson

Johnson played two seasons as a shortstop with Louisburg (N.C.) JC, where he struggled with the bat, hitting just .240/.341/.560 in 56 games. He was athletic and had a strong arm, though, so he jumped on the mound in an attempt to give pitching a chance and was immediately throwing in the low 90s. Campbell decided to bet on Johnson’s arm strength, and during the fall scouts raved about how quickly the righthander had taken to pitching, showcasing a premium arm action and easy delivery. His velocity started climbing throughout the fall, and both of his breaking pitches developed as well. As a further testament to his unusual aptitude, Johnson developed a reliable changeup seemingly overnight. This spring, the results have been mixed for Johnson, but he’s still shown all of the impact stuff that he flashed during the fall. He has plus fastball velocity with natural running life, but that occasionally hurts him, as he doesn’t have the command necessary to avoid the pitch from running back over the heart of the plate. His hard, 83-85 mph slider, which is ahead of his curveball at the moment, comes from a release point that mirrors his fastball and projects as an above-average offering with tight, late-breaking action. His 71-74 mph curveball has solid shape and depth, but it lacks the finish and bite needed to be a legitimate out-pitch at the moment. Johnson’s changeup clocks in the mid- to upper 80s and has slight fading action with good feel. He gets off the mound and fields his position well, which is what you would expect from a former junior college shortstop. He has a long way to go in terms of accumulating innings and figuring out the finer details of pitching, such as pitching with efficiency from the stretch, fastball command and the consistency of his breaking balls, but given where he currently sits with so little pitching background, his upside is high. It would take guts to take a 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthander with Johnson’s limited track record in the first round, but that’s where his pure talent fits, particularly in a down year for college arms.