Brian Johnson called up

[Corsi]

Brian Johnson has been called up to the Red Sox.

https://twitter.com/brianmacp/status/619951170874941440

https://twitter.com/brianmacp/status/619951170874941440

link to tweet

 

[AB in DC]

Why today?  Unless they're starting him on Sunday in place of Miley, i don't see the point.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Why today?  Unless they're starting him on Sunday in place of Miley, i don't see the point.

Let him soak up the shock and awe of being in the Show before he actually has to pitch.

 

[TimScribble]

He was scheduled tomorrow in the minors, I believe.

 

[foulkehampshire]

Intrigued. Maybe he's one of those crafty lefties that consistently over-performs despite middling stuff.  Bound to hit the jackpot with one of these guys eventually.

 

[TimScribble]

@brianmacp: Brian Johnson has a 2.73 ERA in 16 starts with the PawSox this season. He's struck out 81 and walked 26 in 85 2/3 innings pitched.

Wrong paste.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

@SBNation: Clint Dempsey put the #USMNT up 1-0 with this goal (via @notjoserivera) http://t.co/w59ktoKUdC https://t.co/o0bpGtrZSK

Brian Johnson LIKES this

 

[TimScribble]

Brian Johnson LIKES this

Right? My iPhone has been killing me with copy and pastes lately.

 

[AB in DC]

He was scheduled tomorrow in the minors, I believe.

Today, per the minor league forum.
 
So if he's called up to Boston, does that make him ineligible to pitch in the IL All-Star Game?

 

[Corsi]

Buchholz headed to DL. No ligament damage

https://twitter.com/bradfo/status/619961582500622336

https://twitter.com/bradfo/status/619961582500622336

link to tweet

 

[Sprowl]

I hope Brian Johnson brings his high floor with him, and leaves the low ceiling behind in Pawtucket.

 

[The Mort Report]

With Clay going only 3 innings last night I'm sure they want another guy in the pen who could give multiple innings if Rodriguez or Miley struggle

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

Starts Friday against the LAA, are we to presume?

 

[soxhop411]

“@RedSox: To make room for Johnson on 40-man roster, RHP Dalier Hinojosa was designated for assignment.”

 

[The X Man Cometh]

Today, per the minor league forum.
 
So if he's called up to Boston, does that make him ineligible to pitch in the IL All-Star Game?

The Red Sox had already announced he was not going to pitch in the game anyway, because of his start slated for today.

 

[Sprowl]

“@RedSox: To make room for Johnson on 40-man roster, RHP Dalier Hinojosa was designated for assignment.”

Hinojosa
barelyknewya

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Starts Friday against the LAA, are we to presume?

The Sox can set up the rotation any way they want coming out of the break.  So no, I wouldn't necessarily presume that.

 

[Buzzkill Pauley]

J

 

[The Gray Eagle]

Those about to pitch, we salute you! 
 

 

[SoxinSeattle]

Those about to pitch, we salute you! 
 

Excellent. Im more of a Bon Scott guy but let's hope our Brian Johnson can nail his debut as well as this one did with Back in Black.

 

[Chief_Macho]

“@RedSox: To make room for Johnson on 40-man roster, RHP Dalier Hinojosa was designated for assignment.”

Why didn't he get more opportunities?

 

[billy ashley]

Why didn't he get more opportunities?

 
He never really had any period of success in the minors. The guy has a live arm but is 29 years old, while at times he's posted solid k rates, he walks far too many batters. He may catch on somewhere and end up having a major league career, but he hasn't forced the issue in Boston. He's at best a 11th man out of a staff, right now. 
 
I liked what I read in various scouting reports and while he's had some success this year in AAA, it's not like he's been crushing the league.   

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Why didn't he get more opportunities?

Someone had to go off of the 40 man roster, who would you have removed?

 

[Hee Sox Choi]

Someone had to go off of the 40 man roster, who would you have removed?

 

[MuzzyField]

It's always great to be a Florida Gator! Now win some games.

 

[Troy O'Lovely]

Intrigued. Maybe he's one of those crafty lefties that consistently over-performs despite middling stuff.  Bound to hit the jackpot with one of these guys eventually.

It's actually control with him.  I like Johnson, we have had a lot of guys with good stuff and no control recently (hi Allen Webster and Joe Kelly!) but Johnson has good control and a legitimate 4 pitch repertoire.  Yeah, his agreed upon ceiling is mid-rotation starter but it would be nice for our 3rd starter to be consistent -- not will you get a 1-hit performance or a 1-inning one.

 

[Hee Sox Choi]

Baseball Prospectus pegs him as a back-end starter.  They just wrote an article about him this morning:
 
Immediate Big League Future: As dominant as Johnson has been in the minor leagues, it would be foolish to expect similar numbers at the big-league level; he just doesn’t have the stuff that suggests being more than a backend starter. That being said, the ability to throw strikes with all of his offerings and an advanced feel for pitching should allow him to be successful immediately, and he should be a solid – if unspectacular – member of a major-league rotation for the foreseeable future.
 
You can read most (maybe all) of this article even if you don't have a subscription:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=26919
 
Also, BJ made Sickel's top 75 mid-season list, coming in at #54:
 
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/7/12/8940113/top-75-mlb-prospects-mid-season-update

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Does Johnson get sent down to get a 5IP start to keep his rhythm? If he goes say on Sunday, 7/18 he would have had only one start since 6/29. He reached 143 IP last year and is already at 85 which should comfortably keep him in the 150-165 range taking his regular turn.

 

[Cumberland Blues]

They can't do that and bring him back on Sunday unless there's another injury. 

 

[HomeRunBaker]

They can't do that and bring him back on Sunday unless there's another injury. 

Duh! Complete brainfart on my part.

 

[SteveF]

I don't know if or how much this was a factor, but calling him up now (well, on the 11th anyway) ensures he doesn't pitch in the AAA all star game on July 15.

 

[swingin val]

I don't know if or how much this was a factor, but calling him up now (well, on the 11th anyway) ensures he doesn't pitch in the AAA all star game on July 15.

Was mentioned up thread. He wasnt going to pitch in the game anyway.

 

[jscola85]

He's earned his turn. Seems like Wade Miley a bit - well-built lefty whose strength is his pitch repetoire and command - solid but hardly overpowering fastball, breaking ball and changeup all capable of getting batters out.  At 6-4, hopefully Johnson gets some more downhill action on his fastball.  Jose Quintana seems like another comp.  Either way, if he can turn into what folks view his upside - a 200 IP, high-3's ERA pitcher - that's something the Sox could desperately use now and in 2016/beyond.
 
EDIT - another more conservative outlook is a guy like JA Happ, who is a big, workhorse lefty with good command of 3-4 pitches but no true "out" pitch and thus has posted middling results throughout his MLB career as a starter.  Even that would be an upgrade from the likes of Wright, Masterson and Kelly so far this year out of the 5th spot in the rotation.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

With this bullpen and the offense coming around, the trait we need in a starter in this rotation more than anything else is the ability to get deep into games. 
 
Unfortunately, it's really only elite pitchers who go deep into games. The idea of a middle of the road innings eater sounds nice, but there aren't a whole lot of them out there.
 
Of the top 50 pitchers by innings pitched in all of MLB, 14 have ERAs north of 4. They are:
 
Jeff Samardzija - 4.02 (4th in IP)
Anibel Sanchez - 4.63 (15th)
Phil Hughes - 4.32 (20th)
James Shields - 4.01 (20th)
RA Dickey - 4.87 (24th)
Mike Leake - 4.08 (24th)
Collin McHugh - 4.50 (28th)
Colby Lewis - 4.77 (36th)
RBDL - 5.06 (39th)
Andrew Cashner - 4.10 (43rd)
Jimmy Nelson - 4.21 (44th)
Julio Teheran - 4.56 (45th)
Carlos Carrasco - 4.07 (46th)
Kyle Lohse - 6.17 (48th)
 
By the time you get to Carrasco, you're getting 108 innings out of 18 starts (Lohse is actually 19 starts, which makes him look suckier), which is exactly 6 innings per, which I think we'd all take with Johnson.  
 
Buch is the only Boston starter in the top 50, at 32nd, with 113.1 IP. 
 
So, the question would seem to be: Is Brian Johnson as good as Collin McHugh, Jimmy Nelson, Julio Teheran, and Carlos Carrasco? The Sox need him to be. 

 

[FanSinceBoggs]

I'm excited to see Johnson pitch.  He has three pretty good pitches, plus a cutter.  A scouting report:
 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55
 
A two-way star at Florida, Johnson hit 15 homers and won 22 games while helping the Gators appear in three consecutive College World Series from 2010-12. After he signed for $1,575,000 as the 31st overall pick in the 2012 Draft, his pro debut lasted just six innings before a line drive broke bones in his face during the annual Futures at Fenway showcase. He has made rapid progress since, leading the Double-A Eastern League with a 1.75 ERA in 2014 and finishing the year with a Triple-A playoff start.
 
Johnson has an 88-94 mph fastball that plays up because it sinks and tails and he can locate it on both sides of the point. The consensus is that his best pitch is his sharp curveball, though some scouts prefer his sinking changeup. He also uses an effective cutter to give batters a different look.
 
Johnson has exceptional feel for pitching and is consistent from start to start. His biggest need at this point is to get a little stronger so he can maintain low-90s velocity throughout a full season. He has the ceiling of an efficient No. 3 starter.
 
 

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2015?list=prospects
 
He seems like a crafty pitcher with good, but not elite, stuff.  Still, craftiness and three quality pitches go a long way. . . .

 

[ivanvamp]

He just needs to be.....kinda average. And that will be plenty good enough. It'll be a downgrade from Clay, obviously, but an upgrade over Masterson, Kelly, Miley, and Porcello.

 

[jscola85]

Johnson shouldn't be viewed as a Buchholz replacement.  He may be getting his shot because of Clay's injury, but he's really competing with the likes of Kelly and Wright as one of our back-end starters for the next few years.  The average AL starter is posting a 4.02 ERA / 3.92 FIP this season.  So if Johnson can become a low/mid 4's ERA pitcher, he'll be just fine as a 4th / 5th starter.  That's what Steamer / ZiPS project for him, so hopefully he can live up to that more modest expectation.

 

[Drek717]

I'm excited to see Johnson pitch.  He has three pretty good pitches, plus a cutter.  A scouting report:
 
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2015?list=prospects
 
He seems like a crafty pitcher with good, but not elite, stuff.  Still, craftiness and three quality pitches go a long way. . . .

His slider (what they refer to as a cutter) is pretty damn good for a 4th pitch, even by established ML pitcher standards.  He isn't Michael Bowden where he kept the walks to a minimum through the minors and got away with weak stuff.  Johnson's pitches are all ML quality offerings.  None are exceptional but he uses them all in a very good mix and when he's going right he makes a good ring around the strike zone.
 
My concerns with him: 1. Will his control hold up when viewed by ML umpires?  Big difference in how ML and mL umps call games these days.  
 
2. Is there something in one or more of his pitches that gets exposed at the ML level?  Consider Matt Barnes.  He's supposed to have a strong fastball/change combo and his curve was coming along.  Well so far in his ML stints this year his changeup has gotten smoked.  In the process he's lost deception on it's fastball and so now it's getting hit pretty good too.  Or Anthony Ranaudo last year.  Supposed to have a good mid-90's fastball and a knockout curve.  Well the knockout curve showed up, but all his fastball did was leave bats faster and fool no one.  If Johnson has one pitch downgraded by a flaw that only gets revealed by ML level hitters he can probably do just fine, as long as it's not the fastball, but if he loses two he's going to get rocked.
 
That said, the scouting on his pitch arsenal doesn't read like the kind to suddenly fall apart at the ML level.  That seems more typical of your flame throwers with poor command and/or movement.
 
I also dislike the depiction of him as a low ceiling guy at this point.  He's handled every level he's faced.  Does his raw stuff blow you away?  No but people used that excuse when Greg Maddux was traded from the Cubs to the Braves.  Sometimes prospects buck the presumed trends in moving up levels.  If Johnson keeps his advanced pitch mix and command he could be a bear for opponents to face.  I personally think it is entirely possible he turns into a left handed John Lackey/James Shields type with a mid-2's BB/9, a mid-7's to low 8's K/9, and a FIP in the mid 3's.  That isn't etched in stone, but I'd argue based on his tools and his performance to date that it's a realistically reachable upper-bound for him given a year or two of development at the ML level.

 

[catomatic]

His slider (what they refer to as a cutter) is pretty damn good for a 4th pitch, even by established ML pitcher standards.  He isn't Michael Bowden where he kept the walks to a minimum through the minors and got away with weak stuff.  Johnson's pitches are all ML quality offerings.  None are exceptional but he uses them all in a very good mix and when he's going right he makes a good ring around the strike zone.
 
My concerns with him: 1. Will his control hold up when viewed by ML umpires?  Big difference in how ML and mL umps call games these days.  
 
2. Is there something in one or more of his pitches that gets exposed at the ML level?  Consider Matt Barnes.  He's supposed to have a strong fastball/change combo and his curve was coming along.  Well so far in his ML stints this year his changeup has gotten smoked.  In the process he's lost deception on it's fastball and so now it's getting hit pretty good too.  Or Anthony Ranaudo last year.  Supposed to have a good mid-90's fastball and a knockout curve.  Well the knockout curve showed up, but all his fastball did was leave bats faster and fool no one.  If Johnson has one pitch downgraded by a flaw that only gets revealed by ML level hitters he can probably do just fine, as long as it's not the fastball, but if he loses two he's going to get rocked.
 
That said, the scouting on his pitch arsenal doesn't read like the kind to suddenly fall apart at the ML level.  That seems more typical of your flame throwers with poor command and/or movement.
 
I also dislike the depiction of him as a low ceiling guy at this point.  He's handled every level he's faced.  Does his raw stuff blow you away?  No but people used that excuse when Greg Maddux was traded from the Cubs to the Braves.  Sometimes prospects buck the presumed trends in moving up levels.  If Johnson keeps his advanced pitch mix and command he could be a bear for opponents to face.  I personally think it is entirely possible he turns into a left handed John Lackey/James Shields type with a mid-2's BB/9, a mid-7's to low 8's K/9, and a FIP in the mid 3's.  That isn't etched in stone, but I'd argue based on his tools and his performance to date that it's a realistically reachable upper-bound for him given a year or two of development at the ML level.

This is why I read SOSH.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

I also dislike the depiction of him as a low ceiling guy at this point.  He's handled every level he's faced.  Does his raw stuff blow you away?  No but people used that excuse when Greg Maddux was traded from the Cubs to the Braves.  Sometimes prospects buck the presumed trends in moving up levels.  If Johnson keeps his advanced pitch mix and command he could be a bear for opponents to face.  I personally think it is entirely possible he turns into a left handed John Lackey/James Shields type with a mid-2's BB/9, a mid-7's to low 8's K/9, and a FIP in the mid 3's.  That isn't etched in stone, but I'd argue based on his tools and his performance to date that it's a realistically reachable upper-bound for him given a year or two of development at the ML level.

 
Great points overall, but to the bolded...huh?  Maddux was drafted by the Cubs and only went to the Braves as a free agent after winning his first Cy Young, so I don't think he was under-rated while in Chicago.  He might have been under-estimated as a prospect coming up (I don't really remember) but it's not as though the Cubs gave up on him or didn't realize his potential until it was too late.  It also took him a year+ to become GREG MADDUX for the Cubs, which is a cautionary tale for not basing a guy's entire future on first impressions.

 

[bellowthecat]

I believe it was @redsoxstats who put together this gif of every strike out from his 9K May 29 game.  As someone who hadn't seen him pitch before I find that curve ball to be pretty impressive.  Thought readers here might enjoy it as well.

 

[Drek717]

 
Great points overall, but to the bolded...huh?  Maddux was drafted by the Cubs and only went to the Braves as a free agent after winning his first Cy Young, so I don't think he was under-rated while in Chicago.  He might have been under-estimated as a prospect coming up (I don't really remember) but it's not as though the Cubs gave up on him or didn't realize his potential until it was too late.  It also took him a year+ to become GREG MADDUX for the Cubs, which is a cautionary tale for not basing a guy's entire future on first impressions.

My mistake, poor recollection and not taking the time to run down how he left.  I was thinking of a comment I heard on WGN as a kid where a member of the Cubs made a reference to Maddux' lack of impressive velocity or movement in a derogatory/doomsayer fashion when he left.  Convinced myself that he must have left before breaking out for such a comment to have been made.
 
And I would agree that he is an excellent example of why first year (or even second year) performance needs to be taken with a grain of salt.  He didn't spend much time in the minors, but he also shows a strong argument for why all players are not doomed to live their minor league equivalencies.  Greg Maddux had a K/9 in the mid-4's for his last large sample in the minors, split over AA and AAA.  His BB/9 was 2.1.  His ML K rate didn't drop down to that level until he was 40, and from the age of 27 on he never had a BB/9 as high as that one season of minor league ball.  Minor leaguers are all a gamble.  Some have far better payoff rates than others to be sure, but the minutiae of details that composite a baseball player can have even the most surefire prospect hiding the most hairline of fractures waiting for ML exposure.  Sometimes the opposite holds true and everything surprisingly clicks for someone.  When that happens with your average journeyman AAA/AAAA type you get a Josh Donaldson.  When that happens with someone who was already showing ML talent?  You get Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, Giancarlo Stanton types.
 
Brian Johnson has ML talent.  Maybe the light comes on, maybe it doesn't.  If it doesn't he'll probably kick around baseball as a 4th/5th starter for a decade and make a good living as a LH innings eater.  If it comes on though he could be a damn good front end (maybe not an ace, but a #2 you REALLY like in most playoff matchups) starter.  We won't know until we know.

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

I believe it was @redsoxstats who put together this gif of every strike out from his 9K May 29 game.  As someone who hadn't seen him pitch before I find that curve ball to be pretty impressive.  Thought readers here might enjoy it as well.

 
That curveball really brings back happy Bruce Hurst memories.
 
Big league hitters aren't going to swing at those fastballs around their eyes, though. That'll be an adjustment.

 

[phenweigh]

Big league hitters aren't going to swing at those fastballs around their eyes, though.

At least not while he's on the same team as Pablo Sandoval.

 

[soxhop411]

Jason Mastrodonato ‏@JMastrodonato  14m14 minutes ago
Red Sox rotation: Miley on Friday, Porcello Saturday, Rodriguez on Sunday, Brian Johnson on Monday or Tuesday, Mystery Man A the other day.

 

[Byrdbrain]

Per Abraham the mystery man will not be Masterson. That means it is almost certainly either Wright or Kelly.
 
Edit:But I guess SH already posted that in the other thread.

 

[Ferm Sheller]

Don't count out Brock Holt making that start.

 

[Green Monster]

 
Jason Mastrodonato ‏@JMastrodonato  14m14 minutes ago
Red Sox rotation: Miley on Friday, Porcello Saturday, Rodriguez on Sunday, Brian Johnson on Monday or Tuesday, Mystery Man A the other day.
 

 
So why is it that Johnson was called up prior to the break?

 

[Bigpupp]

 
So why is it that Johnson was called up prior to the break?

Might have just been that they needed a long man in case something went bad on Saturday or Sunday.

 

[benhogan]

 
So why is it that Johnson was called up prior to the break?
 

Good point. It was really an inefficient use of the 25 and 40 man rosters.