Pierce Johnson

Pierce Johnson

31-Year-Old PitcherRP
Colorado Rockies
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Elbow tendinitis limited Johnson to just 14.1 innings last season, but his solid body of work for San Diego in recent years earned him a one-year, $5 million deal from his hometown Rockies. The 32-year-old joins Colorado after compiling a 3.39 ERA and 125:44 K:BB ratio over 93 innings since 2020. Johnson's 32.2% strikeout rate over that span illustrates his upside, but that comes not without risk, as evidenced by his poor 11.3% walk rate and recent elbow injury. Still, Johnson is primed for a high-leverage role and could finally earn some save opportunities if closer Daniel Bard struggles or gets hurt. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#601
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Rockies in December of 2022.
Pitches Saturday
PColorado Rockies
March 12, 2023
Johnson (knee) worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless seventh inning in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Mariners in Cactus League play.
ANALYSIS
Johnson was making his first Cactus League appearance in just under a week after experiencing right knee soreness following his previous outing. The knee issue didn't dramatically derail Johnson during his buildup program, so he looks like he'll be ready to go for the start of the regular season.
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Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2018
2017
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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2017 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
19
Last 10 Games
18
Last 5 Games
20
How many pitches does Pierce Johnson generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Pierce Johnson generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-14%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-21%
BAA vs LHP
2021
 
 
-8%
BAA vs RHP
2020
 
 
-69%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2020vs Left .205 169 61 22 30 6 0 3
Since 2020vs Right .237 219 64 22 46 13 0 6
2022vs Left .217 27 11 4 5 0 0 0
2022vs Right .273 37 10 4 9 2 0 1
2021vs Left .230 115 39 14 23 5 0 3
2021vs Right .211 129 38 13 24 9 0 3
2020vs Left .087 27 11 4 2 1 0 0
2020vs Right .277 53 16 5 13 2 0 2
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-16%
ERA at Home
2022
 
 
-100%
ERA on Road
2021
 
 
-40%
ERA at Home
2020
 
 
-87%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2020Home 3.09 1.20 46.2 6 4 0 11.8 3.9 1.0
Since 2020Away 3.69 1.38 46.1 1 3 0 12.4 4.7 0.8
2022Home 9.00 1.88 8.0 1 2 0 13.5 2.3 1.1
2022Away 0.00 1.11 6.1 0 0 0 12.8 8.5 0.0
2021Home 2.36 1.09 26.2 3 2 0 11.1 4.1 1.0
2021Away 3.94 1.41 32.0 0 2 0 12.4 4.2 0.8
2020Home 0.75 1.00 12.0 2 0 0 12.0 4.5 0.8
2020Away 5.63 1.50 8.0 1 1 0 12.4 3.4 1.1
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Pierce Johnson compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
2.63
 
K/9
13.2
 
BB/9
5.0
 
HR/9
0.6
 
Fastball
94.9 mph
 
ERA
5.02
 
WHIP
1.53
 
BABIP
.401
 
GB/FB
2.22
 
Left On Base
68.0%
 
Exit Velocity
82.8 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
1.4%
 
Spin Rate
2580 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
24.6%
 
Swinging Strike
10.7%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
San Diego was quick to exercise their $3 million team option on Johnson for 2022 after he posted the strongest campaign of his career last season. The 30-year-old pitched a career-high 58.2 innings that were accompanied by solid ratios (3.22 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) and a strong 11.8 K/9. The right-hander's 11.1% walk rate was a little high, but he still maintained an above-average 20.1% K-BB%. Johnson can bring the heat with a 96-mph fastball, but primarily throws a curveball 67.5% of the time and is among the league spin rate leaders on the pitch. His overall Statcast metrics are mostly above-average and he's deserving of a higher-leverage role for the Padres. The question that remains is whether he enters the save mix for new Padres manager Bob Melvin. Until he announces a closer, or San Diego signs a clear-cut guy, Johnson is a strong late-round flier for those speculating on saves.
After spending 2019 with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, Johnson returned stateside last season, joining the Padres on a two-year, $5 million contract with team option for 2022. The 2012 first-round pick was much more successful last season than he was during his prior spins through the majors, and a significant velocity jump is a big reason why. Johnson averaged 96.3 mph on his heater last season, up nearly three full ticks from where he was with San Francisco in 2018. The increased velocity and elite curveball spin helped Johnson to a 33.8 K%, a top-25 rate among qualified relievers. Johnson was even more dominant against lefties than he was against righties, but he only had one hold on the year and would need to leapfrog a small army to get consistent saves in 2021.
A first-round pick back in 2012 and for several years one of the Cubs' top pitching prospects, Johnson has yet to put things together in the majors. In 44.2 big-league innings for the Cubs and Giants in 2017 and 2018, he stumbled to a 5.44 ERA, a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 11.9% walk rate. There's reason to believe he'll be much better than that for the Padres this season, however. Rather than sticking around stateside and struggling to win a roster spot last offseason, he elected to head to Japan. A year later, that decision appears to be an excellent one. In 58.2 innings for the Hanshin Tigers, he looked like an entirely new pitcher, posting a 1.38 ERA and a 40.6% strikeout rate. Johnson had recorded strikeout rates north of 30% in his last two seasons in Triple-A, so it's not impossible that he'll be a strikeout arm and a high-leverage weapon this season despite his previous struggles in the majors.
Once a highly-rated prospect, Johnson spent the majority of the season as a 26-year-old reliever at Triple-A Iowa before being waived and claimed by the Giants in late September. His unremarkable 4.31 ERA at Triple-A hides some solid underlying numbers, as he struck out 31.6 percent of the batters he faced and posted a 3.43 FIP. Johnson's minor-league numbers have been solid at every stop outside of a disastrous 2016 season at Triple-A in which he registered a 6.14 ERA and 14.9 percent walk rate. Johnson will have to compete for a spot in the Giants' bullpen in camp. His solid strikeout numbers last season leave some hope that he could carve out a role a prominent role in time, but it's hard to see that happening in 2018.
Injuries hampered Johnson throughout 2016, limiting his workload to 22 appearances split between the rotation and the bullpen at Triple-A Iowa. Fortunately, he finished the season healthy, despite missing time with arm, lat, and hand ailments. Walks have been a problem for the 25-year-old at times in his development, but the shift to a relief role yielded excellent results as he bolstered his strikeout rate in shorter outings and reduced the impact of his free passes in the process. Johnson has an above-average mid-90s fastball and a very good curveball, with the potential to develop a changeup. If he's able to harness a third pitch, there is reason to believe that he can improve his effectiveness against lefties, who hit .323 against him last season. The Cubs will likely give Johnson an opportunity to earn a roster spot during spring training, and if everything clicks, he has the arsenal necessary to be a good late-inning reliever as soon as 2017.
Johnson has been one of the top pitching prospects for the Cubs for quite some time now, and with a 2.08 ERA for Double-A Tennessee last year, it's possible he's nearing his big-league debut. On the other hand, he was repeating the level as a 24-year-old, and despite the low ERA, his 72:32 K:BB in 95 innings was a bit lackluster. That his strikeout rate dropped to 6.8 K/9 last year is a bit of concern, but he missed the first two months of the year with a strained lat and he could have been compensating. He was still able to get hitters out in other ways, which bodes well for his future. Expect a healthy Johnson to start the year with Triple-A Iowa, with a callup on the horizon if he can sustain the improved control that he showed last season.
Everyone talks about all of the good hitting prospects in the Cubs' organization, but for some reason the pitchers get short shrift. With C.J. Edwards hurt most of the year and Kyle Hendricks promoted, Johnson may now be the best pitching prospect in the Cubs' minor league system. He struck out 91 in 91.2 innings with Double-A Tennessee, so there obviously is something there, but he also walked 54. The 23-year-old righty still has a little bit of work to do. Expect him to start the year with Tennessee, with a quick promotion to Triple-A Iowa if he keeps his walks down. This could be his last year in the minors.
While the Cubs' hitting prospects get all the ink, they have a few good pitchers coming up through the ranks as well, and Johnson may be the best of them all. Between Low-A Kane County and High-A Daytona, he had a stellar 9.4 K/9 and only gave up five home runs in 118.1 innings. While his K:BB ratio declined when he was promoted to Daytona, it was still respectable. Johnson is probably a year or two away, but when he comes up to the Cubs, he should be solid.
More Fantasy News
Knee not an issue
PColorado Rockies
Knee
March 6, 2023
Johnson said Monday that the right knee injury which forced him from an appearance Sunday isn't a concern, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Deal with Colorado official
PColorado Rockies
December 13, 2022
Johnson's one-year, $5 million contract with the Rockies was formally announced by the team Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Heads to Colorado
PColorado Rockies
December 13, 2022
Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Rockies on Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Blitzed by Dodgers
PSan Diego Padres
September 30, 2022
Johnson (1-2) took the loss and was charged with a blown save against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two batters over two-thirds of an inning.
ANALYSIS
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Activated by Friars
PSan Diego Padres
September 10, 2022
Johnson (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Saturday.
ANALYSIS
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