Ethan
Johnson

5-foot-11, 175-pound left-handed arm has seen his stuff and velocity steadily tick up over the past few years with this most recent showing being his best yet. Johnson has feel to repeat and is a simple mover; fastball sat 85-87 mph with potential for two above-average offspeed offerings. The slider sat 70-72 mph with short action and he kills spin on his 73-74 mph changeup that flashes action to the arm-side. Left-handed arm on the rise in the 2028 class.

Positional Profile: LHP/1B
Body: 5-11, 175-pounds. Compact frame with strength.
Delivery: Athletic with feel to repeat, simple mover, leg kick into balance point, works in line to the plate.
Arm Action: LH. Short arm action, 3/4 slot.
FB: T87, 85-87 mph. Life out of the hand, developing feel for the zone, flashed feel for the zone. T1884, 1812 average rpm.
SL: 69-72 mph. Short wrinkle, feel to land in the zone. T1794, 1753 average rpm.
CH: 72-74 mph. Fading action off of the fastball, heavy movement, developing feel for the zone. T1148, 1085 average rpm.

LHP Ethan Johnson (Lake Zurich, 2028) was one of the more impressive ‘pens on the day. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound southpaw displayed high-feel for all three pitches and is a name to monitor for the coming years. His fastball sat in the low 80s (T83 mph), pounding the zone 71% of the time. His breaking ball sat 65-68 mph while playing with 12/6 action at the bottom of the zone, and being thrown for strikes 60% of the time. He rounded out his arsenal with a 73-74 mph changeup with slight diving action.

Positional Profile: 1B/LHP
Body: 5-10, 164-pounds. High-waisted frame.
Delivery: Controlled delivery, higher leg kick into balance point, tall/fall lower-half.
Arm Action: LH. Long, clean arm action, high ¾ slot.
FB: T83, 82-83 mph. Clean out of the hand, plays straight. T2049, 1979 average rpm.
CB: 65-68 mph. Vertical action, big break. T2050, 1945 average rpm.
CH: 73-74 mph. Slight fade and tumble. T1522, 1403 average rpm.

Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 5-9, 145-pounds. Well-proportioned build with some present strength in the lower-half.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, short stride, shifts weight onto backside, utilzes lower-half. Uphill path, looks to lift the ball, loose hands.
Power: 74 max exit velocity, averaged 68.6 mph. 250’ max distance.
Arm: LH. INF - 75 mph. Clean, high 3/4 release.
Defense: Two-hand gather out front, secures into the body, glove-pat transfer.
Run: 7.78 runner in the 60.

Delivery: Controlled tempo into a high leg-lift, drop/drive lower-half, works in-line.
Arm Action: LH. Short arm circle, 3/4 release with acceleration out front.
FB: T77, 76-77 mph. Plays with sink at the bottom of the zone. T1884, 1782 average rpm.
CB: 66-67 mph. 1/7 shape with depth through the zone. T2015, 1951 average rpm.

LHP Ethan Johnson (Lake Zurich, 2028) is an intriguing southpaw that threw the ball well in-game. With a controlled tempo, Johnson works into a high leg-lift before moving into a drop/drive lower-half. His arm plays short in the back into a ¾ release with acceleration out front. The fastball played with sinking action around 76-77 mph, thrown for strikes and setting up a sharp 1/7 curveball at 66-67 mph. Johnson notched two strikeouts in his inning of work without allowing a baserunner.

One of the more impressive arms from the day was LHP Ethan Johnson (Lake Zurich, 2028). The southpaw showcased a clean operation, moving fluidly into a high leg-lift with a clean lower-half down the mound. His arm moves with looseness and ease with a clean path and ¾ release. His fastball worked in the 74-76 mph range, setting up a 1/7 curveball at 63-65 mph with some sharp action and feel for the zone.

Positional Profile: LHP/1B
Body: 5-8, 130-pounds. Skinny, long levered.
Delivery: Clean operation, fluid mover into a high leg-lift, clean lower-half down the mound with a drop/drive movement pattern, stride works in-line, little perceived effort.
Arm Action: LH. Clean arm path, 3/4 release with looseness throughout.
FB: T76, 74-76 mph. Clean out of the hand, plays with sinking action through the zone. T2121, 1969 average rpm.
CB: 63-65 mph. Flashed sharp 1/7 action, some feel for the zone. T2083, 1961 average rpm.

Hit: RHH. Wide balanced setup, toe-taps into a medium stride. Hands stay mostly short to the ball, uphill path with intent to lift, athletic operation.
Power: 76 max exit velocity, averaged 67.5 mph. 236’ max distance.
Arm: LH. INF- 70 mph. Longer arm path, clean, athletic, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Steady hands, secures ball to body, clean, quick transfer.
Run: 4.47 30-yard dash.