Scouting grades 20–80
60Fastball
45Slider
50Changeup
40Control
Johnson was a highly regarded prospect out of high school, with some projections having him landing inside the top 2 rounds. He would end up making it to LSU as a freshman, though he would only throw 9 innings and struggle. Johnson elected to hit the transfer portal and headt to the University of Oklahoma. He would split time between the pen and rotation in 2025, though he's now established himself as a starter.
Johnson is up 99 mph with a fastball that has some intruiging traits from a lower slot. He's been held back by command woes for most of his college career thus far, but the pitch has had nights where it looks untouchable. Johnson has also had nights where he simply can't locate. As a whole there's not much feel for the top of the zone, Johnson will mostly stick to peppering the lower half when he's going good.
While a breaking ball was Johnson's main secondary offering in high school, he's gravitated towards using his changeup more in college ball, and it's flashed above average. The breaking ball he's showed so far this year has been fringy, so that will be something to monitor. From what Johnson has showcased so far in his career, it's likely he'll end up a leverage reliever at the next level. That said, don't rule out the possibility of this becoming one of the player development stories of the class as a whole.
