No young player wants to deal with an injury, especially in spring training but for Chicago Cubs pitcher Pierce Johnson, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Johnson, the preseason No. 7 Cubs minor league prospect pulled his oblique muscle on his right side and, when all his fellow players were being assigned teams, had to remain in Mesa, Ariz. for extended spring training.
“He (Johnson) couldn’t throw a ball for almost a month after he pulled it,” Tennessee Smokies manager Buddy Bailey said. “He sat for three weeks and worked on his conditioning and some rotational things. Most pitchers will go to spring training in February to get ready for April, but for him when he got healthy it was another six-week process to get in shape and get his inning built up enough.”
#Cubs prospect Pierce Johnson tosses another gem tonight: 5IP 6H 1ER 2BB 5K, which bumped up his ERA to 1.08
— MLB Top Prospects (@MLBTopProspects) July 3, 2015
When Johnson did get cleared, he returned to Double-A Tennesse, the team he’d been so dominant for in the second half of last season. And when he got there, he had a new weapon at his disposal; a change-up.
“The change-up has really been a pitch that I’ve struggled with all through college and through my professional career so far,” Johnson said. “When I was down there in extended, was working on it, because that’s a pitch everybody in the big leagues, especially starters, can throw for strikes. Since I’ve been back, it’s been successful for me.”
Johnson comes into his Sunday start against the Biloxi Shuckers 3-0 with a 1.14 ERA, picking right up where he left off at the end of last season, as the Smokies’ top pitcher and one of the best starters in the Southern League.
Some real talented pitchers on the mound for the Cubs minor leagues today: Pierce Johnson Jeremy Null, Trevor Clifton, and Carson Sands.
— Cubs Den (@CubsDen) July 11, 2015
“He (Johnson) didn’t trust it (the change-up) or use it much in the past,” Smokies manager Buddy Bailey said. “He leaned on his fastball and cutter. Now that he’s come back and used his change-up effectively, he’s getting outs with it. That was big plus with him getting injured.”
A first-round pick in 2012, Johnson entered the league with attention and expectations. Extended spring training in Mesa allowed him to ignore all of it and just work on his game.
“I really didn’t notice,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of hard to when you’re in extended. You can’t get noticed when there’s nobody around. Being thought of like that is an honor. I’m in the dark. I’m just here to pitch and help my team win.”
#Cubs Minor League Recap: 6/17/15. Neil Ramirez returns to action; Pierce Johnson has another strong outing.… http://t.co/HTlSNh6J6D
— CubsVineLine (@cubsvineline) June 18, 2015
The Smokies have been careful with Johnson since his return. He’s only gone seven innings once, giving up just three hits and one run to the Birmingham Barons on July 7. Johnson’s first 11 innings back from his injury were scoreless. He’s not allowed more than one run in a game so far this season.
“I feel great right now,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to feel this good and have these guys play this well behind me. Being with these guys is a blast. As long as I can be successful here, I can get bumped up. For now I’m a Tennessee Smoky and I’m going to do everything I can to win.”
Prospect Watch
The Cubs pulled a surprise move by promoting Sutton Whiting to Double-A after just a month of professional baseball. Whiting was drafted in the 24th round of last month’s MLB draft out of Louisville. Pressed into service from injuries, Whiting most likely won’t stay in Tennessee once the disabled list clears up in the farm system, but it still says something about how the 23-year-old has impressed the organization early on. Whiting has only appeared in four games with the Smokies, but he’s batting .667 with a .714 on-base-percentage. And while those numbers will surely drop, it’s certainly not a bad sign he’s able to bat at that level just a month out of college.
Catcher Taylor Davis’ stint in Double-A didn’t last long. Sent down from Triple-A Iowa to replace Kyle Schwarber after the 2014 first rounder was called up to Chicago, Davis had no trouble taking over Schwarber’s spot and producing with the gat. After jsy 10 games with the Smokies, Davis was sent back up to Triple-A.
