Pierce William Johnson (born May 10, 1991) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the
Colorado Rockies of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the
Chicago Cubs,
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
and
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
and for the
Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...
of
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB). He was drafted by the Cubs in the first round of the
2012 Major League Baseball draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks, first ...
out of
Missouri State University.
Amateur career
Johnson was drafted by the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...
in the 15th round of the
2009 Major League Baseball Draft out of Faith Christian Academy in
Arvada, Colorado after playing three seasons of varsity baseball. He did not sign and attended
Missouri State University. He finished his first year at Missouri State with a 6–5 record to go along with a 4.76 ERA in 75.2 IP. In 2010 and 2011, he played
collegiate summer baseball with the
Harwich Mariners
The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Fiel ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League.
Professional career
Chicago Cubs
Johnson was drafted by the
Chicago Cubs in the first round of the
2012 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks, first ...
.
In 2013, he went 11–6 with a 2.74
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
and 124
strikeouts
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
in 118
innings pitched. Prior to the 2014 season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the 87th best prospect in baseball. The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster after the 2015 season. Johnson spent 2014 with both the
Kane County Cougars
The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...
and the
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...
where he posted a 5–5 record with a 2.54 ERA. Johnson stayed with the Smokies during the 2015 season, where he posted a 6–2 record with a 2.08 ERA, holding batters to a .223
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
. After his success in Tennessee, Johnson was promoted to the Triple-A
Iowa Cubs, where he posted a 4–6 record with a 6.14 ERA.
San Francisco Giants
On September 20, 2017, Johnson was claimed off waivers by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
. He elected free agency on November 3, 2018.
Hanshin Tigers
On December 8, 2018, Johnson signed with the
Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...
of
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB).
On December 2, 2019, he become free agent.
San Diego Padres
On December 23, 2019, Johnson signed a two-year contract which includes a third-year club option with the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). In his first season with San Diego, Johnson recorded a 3-1 record and 2.70 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 20.0 innings. Johnson made 63 appearances for the Padres, logging a 3-4 record and 3.22 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 58.2 innings pitched.
On May 9, 2022, Johnson was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow tendinitis.
Colorado Rockies
On December 13, 2022, Johnson signed a one-year contract with the
Colorado Rockies.
References
External links
Missouri State Bears bioProspect Watch: Pierce Johnson making Cubs take notice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Pierce
1991 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Arizona League Cubs players
Baseball players from Colorado
Boise Hawks players
Chicago Cubs players
Daytona Cubs players
Hanshin Tigers players
Harwich Mariners players
Iowa Cubs players
Kane County Cougars players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mesa Solar Sox players
Missouri State Bears baseball players
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
People from Arvada, Colorado
Sacramento River Cats players
San Diego Padres players
San Francisco Giants players
Tennessee Smokies players