"On-the-job training is an ideal way of learning a craft, but it can also be frustrating. Such was the case for 25-year-old Jeff Johnson, who in one year went from Class-A Fort Lauderdale to Yankee Stadium. Johnson, along with Wade Taylor and Scott Kamieniecki, was one of three rookie starters who started out strong but then struggled in 1991.
'He's still learning, and at times that can be frustrating,' says Yankees pitching coach Mark Connor. 'But he has still shown that he can pitch at the major league level.'
That he has. Johnson has excellent control and the ability to pitch deep into the game, two musts for a successful starter. The left-hander also demonstrated a strong pick-off move, leading the staff with three caught stealings last year. Jeff Johnson is a fast learner and, with the consistency that comes from experience, could be at the head of the class in 1992."
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"Jeff began the 1991 season at Columbus and was recalled on June 5. At the time of his recall he was 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts. He finished his freshman season with the Yankees with a 6-11 record and 5.95 ERA.
He joined the rotation immediately and made five starts in June posting a 1-3 record with a 4.25 ERA. His major league debut came on June 5 against Toronto, with Jeff taking the loss in the 4-1 defeat (7.0 IP, 4 R, 2 ER). His first big league win came in his third start, June 19 at Toronto, while pitching seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 blanking of the Blue Jays, with Steve Howe getting the save.
July was Jeff's most successful month, with a 3-0 record and 2.78 ERA. His longest outing as a Yankee came on July 13 at California when he pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. He followed that with eight scoreless innings on July 19 at Oakland in a 3-0 blanking; he started that game with 4.2 hitless innings. He extended his scoreless streak to 17.1 innings on July 24 against Seattle with a scoreless inning. He also extended his winning streak to a season best three games as the Yankees beat the Mariners 10-2.
The streak came to a screeching halt as Jeff lost his first four games in August. On August 8 at Chicago he struck out a career high seven men in a 4-1 loss. For the month he finished 1-5 with a 10.87 ERA; from July 24-August 29, his ERA ballooned from 2.70 to 5.65. Jeff broke the skid with a 6-5 win on August 24 at Toronto.
He proceeded to lose his next four outings, August 29-September 13, as his ERA rose to 5.99. He had an outstanding effort on September 18 against Milwaukee, receiving a no-decision (8.0 IP, 1 ER) in a 2-1 Yankee triumph. Jeff finished the month of September with his ERA rising to a season high of 6.08. His year ended on a positive note, however, as he notched the win in a 9-6 Yankee victory on October 3 against Baltimore. The win broke a string of seven consecutive starts without a victory.
Along with Wade Taylor and Scott Kamieniecki, Johnson was part of the first rookie trio to crack the Yankee starting rotation since June 1986 (Doug Drabek, Bob Tewksbury, Alphonso Pulido). Taylor, Kamieniecki and Johnson became the first rookie trio to notch wins on consecutive days since at least 1946 (Yankee research materials do not predate 1947).
Although not recalled until June 5, Johnson finished second on the team in innings pitched with 127.0. When he made his debut he became the eighth different Yankee and the second left-hander to start a game in 1991. The streak of 17.1 innings was the longest by a Yankee starter in 1991 and the longest by a Yankee since Andy Hawkins went 23.0 innings in 1989.
For the season opponents batted .305 overall against him; right-handed hitters batted .313 (144-460), left-handed hitters .231 (12-for-52). Jeff walked only 33 batters in 127.0 innings for a ratio of 2.3 per nine innings. The ratio was second best among Yankee starters to Scott Sanderson. Jeff had a 1.9 strikeouts/walk ratio. He was involved in three of the Yankees 11 shutouts, second among starters to Sanderson (5).
Jeff finished 2-6 with a 5.57 ERA at home, 4-5 with a 6.35 ERA on the road. He pitched five-plus innings in 18 of his 23 innings and averaged 5.2 innings per start. He was hurt most at the beginning of games as indicated by innings and runs allowed: 1st-19, 2nd-19, 3rd-11, 4th-11, 5th-7, 6th-18, 7th-4, 8th-0, 9th-0. 25 of the 84 runs (30%) he allowed came via the home run.
In his six wins Jeff had a 2.08 ERA (43.1 IP, 10 ER). He was supported with 4.1 runs per start overall but only 2.4 runs in his losses. He caught three runners stealing, most among Yankee starters.
He is unsigned for the 1992 season.
Jeff started the 1990 season at Class-A Ft. Lauderdale and was promoted to AA Albany in mid-July. He combined to post a 10-11 record with four complete games and a 2.90 ERA over 26 starts.
At Ft. Lauderdale, Johnson was 6-8 with a complete game and a 3.65 ERA, including 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA at Ft. Lauderdale Stadium. His best month was May when he registered a 4-1 record with a 1.85 ERA in five starts. At Albany, he was 4-3 with three complete games and a 1.63 ERA in nine starts- Jeff was unbeatable at home, posting a 3-0 record with a 0.86 ERA (21.0 IP, 2 ER) in three starts.
In 1989 Johnson spent a full season at Class-A Prince William of the Carolina League, with a 4-10 record and a 2.92 ERA over 25 games (24 starts), allowing 125 hits over 138.2 innings. 1988 was his first season in professional baseball. Johnson spent that season at Oneonta, achieving an impressive 6-1 record with a 2.98 ERA over 14 starts. He allowed just 67 hits and fanned 91 batters over 87.2 innings.
Jeff was the Yankees' 6th round pick in the June 1988 free agent draft. He was signed by New York scout Jeff Taylor.
He graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in mathematics. A four-year letterman on the baseball team, he had a 9-5 record over his 38-game career. He played alongside current major leaguer Chris Haney.
Jeff played Little League and Babe Ruth baseball in Butner, North Carolina. He's an avid crappie fisherman."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment