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Pierce Johnson PPadres

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 28)

IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	W	L	SV	WARP
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Birth Date	5-10-1991
Height	6' 2"
Weight	202 lbs

Age	32 years, 11 months, 16 days
Bats	R
Throws	R

: 2015
: 2016
: 0.02017
: -0.12018
: 0.02019
proj

WARP Summary

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MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
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YEAR	Team	Lg	G	IP	W	L	H	BB	SO	HR	PPF	H/9	BB/9	HR/9	K/9	GB%	BABIP	WHIP	FIP	ERA	cFIP	DRA	DRA-	WARP
2017	CHN	MLB	1	1.0	0	0	2	1	2	0		18.0	9.0	0.0	18.0	25%	.500	3.00	2.17	0.00	72	2.13	45.3	0.0
2018	SFN	MLB	37	43.7	3	2	38	22	36	5	97	7.8	4.5	1.0	7.4	40%	.268	1.37	4.47	5.56	102	5.06	113.0	-0.1
Career		MLB	38	44.7	3	2	40	23	38	5	95	8.1	4.6	1.0	7.7	39%	.276	1.41	4.42	5.44	101	4.99	111.5	0.0

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	Lg	LG	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	HR	PPF	H/9	BB/9	HR/9	K/9	GB%	BABIP	WHIP	FIP	ERA	cFIP	DRA	DRA-
2012	BOI	A-	NOR	4	4	8.0	0	0	0	10	3	12	0	117	11.3	3.4	0.0	13.5	0%	.526	1.63	1.44	4.50	71	6.34	132.0
2012	CUB	Rk	AZL	2	2	3.0	0	0	0	4	0	2	0	90	12.0	0.0	0.0	6.0	0%	.444	1.33	3.00	0.00	82	3.21	66.9
2013	KNC	A	MID	13	13	69.7	5	5	0	68	22	74	4	110	8.8	2.8	0.5	9.6	0%	.335	1.29	3.11	3.10	83	3.96	86.0
2013	DAY	A+	FSL	10	8	48.7	6	1	0	41	21	50	1	103	7.6	3.9	0.2	9.2	0%	.333	1.27	2.99	2.22	86	4.22	91.8
2014	KNC	A	MID	2	2	11.0	0	1	0	4	3	8	1	101	3.3	2.5	0.8	6.5	0%	.115	0.64	4.29	2.45	101	2.65	56.1
2014	TEN	AA	SOU	18	17	91.7	5	4	0	60	54	91	8	102	5.9	5.3	0.8	8.9	0%	.242	1.24	4.26	2.55	102	3.45	73.1
2015	TEN	AA	SOU	16	16	95.0	6	2	0	76	32	72	4	102	7.2	3.0	0.4	6.8	0%	.266	1.14	3.47	2.08	95	3.17	69.6
2015	MSS	Wnt	AFL	7	7	24.7	1	2	0	28	13	21	5		10.2	4.7	1.8	7.7	0%	.333	1.66	6.09	5.47	0	0.00	0.0
2016	IOW	AAA	PCL	22	11	63.0	4	6	0	60	43	75	8	94	8.6	6.1	1.1	10.7	47%	.331	1.63	5.27	6.14	111	5.47	120.8
2017	CHN	MLB	NL	1	0	1.0	0	0	0	2	1	2	0		18.0	9.0	0.0	18.0	25%	.500	3.00	2.17	0.00	72	2.13	45.3
2017	IOW	AAA	PCL	43	1	54.3	3	2	9	52	27	74	3	98	8.6	4.5	0.5	12.3	47%	.389	1.45	3.42	4.31	77	4.03	85.7
2018	SFN	MLB	NL	37	0	43.7	3	2	0	38	22	36	5	97	7.8	4.5	1.0	7.4	40%	.268	1.37	4.47	5.56	102	5.06	113.0
2018	SAC	AAA	PCL	17	0	22.7	0	0	4	15	10	30	1		6.0	4.0	0.4	11.9	35%	.275	1.10	2.99	3.57	81	2.69	56.9

Plate Discipline

YEAR	Pits	Zone%	Swing%	Contact%	Z-Swing%	O-Swing%	Z-Contact%	O-Contact%	SwStr%
2017	29	0.4483	0.4138	0.6667	0.6154	0.2500	0.7500	0.5000	0.3333
2018	815	0.4908	0.4552	0.7547	0.6475	0.2699	0.7838	0.6875	0.2453
Career	844	0.4893	0.4538	0.7517	0.6464	0.2692	0.7826	0.6811	0.2483

Injury History — No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On	Date Off	Transaction	Days	Side	Body Part	Injury	Severity	Surgery Date	Reaggravation
2014-05-20	2014-06-22	Minors	33	Left	Lower Leg	Strain	Calf	-	-
2014-04-03	2014-04-22	Minors	19	-		Not Disclosed		-	-
2014-03-11	2014-03-31	Camp	20	-	Thigh	Strain	Hamstring	-	-

Compensation

Year	Team	Salary
2026	ATL	$250,000
2025	ATL	$7,000,000
2024	ATL	$7,000,000
2023	COL	$5,000,000
2022	SDN	$3,000,000
2021	SDN	$2,000,000
2020	SDN	$2,000,000
2019	SFN	$
2018	SFN	$545,000
2017	CHN	$

Years	Description	Salary
5 yr	Previous	$12,545,000
2019	Current	$7,000,000
6 yr	Pvs + Cur	$19,545,000
2 yr	Future	$7,250,000
8 yr	Total	$26,795,000

Service Time	Agent	Contract Status
4 y 137 d	Boggs & Assoc.	2 years/$14.25M (2024-25), 2026 option

Details

2 years/$14.25M (2024-25), plus 2026 club option. Signed extension with Atlanta 10/25/23. 24:$7M, 25:$7M, 26:$7M club option ($250,000 buyout).
1 year/$5M (2023). Signed by Colorado as a free agent 12/13/22. Performance bonuses: $250,000 each for 40, 50, 60 appearances. Award bonuses: $100,000 each for MVP, Cy Young ($50,000 for second-fifth in votes). $100,000 for Reliever of the Year ($50,000 for second or third in reliever award rankings). $100,000 each for Comeback Player of the Year, WS MVP. $75,000 for LCS MVP. $25,000 each for Gold Glove, All Star selection or election. Johnson to become XX(B) free agent upon expiration of contract. Acquired by Atlanta in trade from Colorado 7/24/23 with $1,854,839 remaining on contract.
2 years/$5M (2020-21), plus 2022 club option. Signed by San Diego as a free agent 1/6/20. 20-21:$2M annually. 22:$3M club option ($1M buyout). Performance bonuses: $100,000 each for 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 games pitched. Free agent at end of contract. San Diego exercised 2022 option 11/5/21.
2019. Signed by Hanshin Tigers of Japan 12/8/18.
1 year/$545,000 (2018). Re-signed by San Francisco 3/18.
1 year (2017). Re-signed by Chicago Cubs 3/17. Claimed by San Francisco off waivers 9/20/17 after being DFA by Chicago Cubs 9/13/17.
1 year (2016). Contract selected by Chicago Cubs 11/20/15. Re-signed by Chicago Cubs 3/4/16.
Drafted by Chicago Cubs 2012 (1s-43) (Missouri State). $1.196M signing bonus (slot amount).

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT	W	SV	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO	HR	BABIP	WHIP	ERA	DRA	VORP	WARP
90^o	9	0.2	34	7	69.0	52	30	69	7	.253	1.19	3.37	3.74	-4.8	-0.5
80^o	7.9	0.2	31	6	62.8	51	30	63	7	.267	1.28	3.76	4.18	-7.3	-0.8
70^o	7.2	0.2	28	6	58.5	50	29	59	7	.277	1.35	4.05	4.51	-8.8	-1.0
60^o	6.6	0.2	27	5	54.9	49	29	55	7	.286	1.41	4.30	4.79	-9.8	-1.1
50^o	6.1	0.1	25	5	51.6	48	28	52	7	.294	1.47	4.54	5.06	-10.7	-1.2
40^o	5.6	0.1	24	5	48.4	47	27	49	7	.303	1.53	4.79	5.33	-11.4	-1.2
30^o	5	0.1	22	5	45.1	45	27	45	6	.311	1.60	5.05	5.62	-12.0	-1.3
20^o	4.4	0.1	20	4	41.2	43	26	41	6	.322	1.68	5.37	5.98	-12.5	-1.4
10^o	3.7	0.1	18	4	36.1	41	24	36	6	.337	1.79	5.82	6.48	-12.8	-1.4
Weighted Mean	6	0.1	25	5	51.1	47	28	51	7	.292	1.45	4.51	5.02	-10.4	-1.1

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BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

Date	Question	Answer
2016-06-13 23:00:00 (link to chat)	Do you think Schwarber could be on Babe Ruth's level? Almora like a Ricky Henderson type? Pierce Johnson like a Greg Maddux. I really like these comps. (BC from Urbandale)	Sure, why not. Year a the Cubs, baby. (Wilson Karaman)
2015-09-30 19:00:00 (link to chat)	Do the Cubs still have a top 8 farm system? (Randy from Iowa)	Yes and the emergence of Willson Contreras helps that out a lot. They have Gleyber Torres and Ian Happ in the farm to go along with some arms like Duane Underwood and Pierce Johnson. Opinions on Dylan Cease are mixed because of his command profile but the man throws in the upper 90's and I have heard reports that he was pressing 99 in a few starts. (Mauricio Rubio)
2015-09-30 19:00:00 (link to chat)	Who says No? Cubs trade Castro, Alcantara and Pierce Johnson for Tyson Ross? (Theo from Chicago)	Judging by the aggressive asking price I've heard around Tyson Ross I think it's possible the Padres already said no to this. (Mauricio Rubio)
2015-08-12 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Pierce Johnson has had many injuries the past couple of years though none arm related. If he shows he can stay healthy do you think he's an option as a 4th or 5th starter next year or does the Cubs keep him in AAA ? (Chris from Gary, IN)	That's a pretty big if, Chris. That being said, the stuff is certainly there to be a backend starter. I think summer of '16 is a realistic landing period, but that's really going to depend on his health. (Christopher Crawford)
2015-04-13 15:00:00 (link to chat)	Who's the first Cubs pitching prospect to reach the majors in a starting role? (Grizz from Chi)	Man, if Pierce Johnson wasn't hurt I'd say it was him with a bullet. I think it still is him, as far as legit prospects go. Unless we're talking guys like Beeler and Jokisch who have already tasted time in the bigs. (Sahadev Sharma)
2014-11-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)	How many of your NL Central Top 25 do you expect to make it on the top 100 list when BP publishes it? Average would be around 16 or 17 assuming talent is evenly distributed, right? (Mike from Texas)	I did say I'd throw a top 25 NL Central Prospects list out there during this chat. With the understanding this is a work in progress (Mellen and I are starting to dig in on the framework for the Top 101), this is my own personal ranking of the prospects covered in our NL Central rankings: 1. SS Addison Russell 2. 3B Kris Bryant 3. RHP Robert Stephenson 4. OF Jorge Soler 5. OF Albert Almora 6. OF Stephen Piscotty 7. LHP Marco Gonzales 8. RHP Tyler Glasnow 9. RHP Jameson Taillon 10. OF Jesse Winker 11. OF/1B Josh Bell 12. RHP Alex Reyes 13. C Kyle Schwarber 14. RHP Michael Lorenzen 15. SS Orlando Arcia 16. OF Tyrone Taylor 17. OF Billy McKinney 18. RHP Pierce Johnson 19. SS Gleyber Torres 20. RHP Jack Flaherty 21. OF Yorman Rodriguez 22. C Reese McGuire 23. RHP Nick Howard 24. RHP Devin Williams 25. LHP Rob Kaminsky I think all of those guys will be in the discussion for the 101, and expect there to be some shuffling in order of course. Definitely more than the average of 16 or 17. (NL Central Top 10s With Nick Faleris)
2014-09-25 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Looking at BP 101 SP available in my 16-team dynasty: Folty (RP?), Almonte, Stewart, Harvey, E. Rodriguez, Barnes, Chi Chi, Berrios, Tirado, Kingham, Enny Romero, Pierce Johnson, Thorpe. Daniel Norris is also available. I've focused on MLB this year; any of these guys (or guys not on the 101) decent risers this year? Struggling to merge them onto my draft board with the MLB SP like deGrom, Carrasco, Shoemaker, Roark, Keuchel, McHugh, Anderson, Fiers, etc. available. Any names jump out from this motley crew, MILB or MLB, as draft targets? If it matters, I finished 3rd and pick 14 of 16 so prefer near ETAs. Here's hoping #TINO shows no #slack this fall/winter. Thanks. (JoJo from SD)	Take the MLBers. The order you have is good, too. TINO will be around all winter, but on an abbreviated schedule (twice a month) (Craig Goldstein)
2014-07-24 19:00:00 (link to chat)	Obviously you've seen Kane County a bunch this year. Is Underwood's stock close to Tseng's? Or is it much closer to Blackburn and Torrez at this stage? (David from Malibu)	Let's talk pitching a bit. Underwood has a higher ceiling than Tseng, the curveball has better snap and has potential to be special, but Tseng has a more polished profile and a higher ceiling. Underwood belongs in the C.J. Edwards, Jen-Ho Tseng, Pierce Johnson level, Blackburn and Torrez are in the tier below for me. (Mauricio Rubio)
2014-07-03 19:00:00 (link to chat)	Do you have a sense of which lesser known Cubs prospects could be valuable dynasty league assets in 2015? (Dan from Chicago)	Depends on what you mean by lesser known. I think Pierce Johnson and Paul Blackburn could be assets depending on league depth. If you're looking for blow up potential I think Eloy Jimenez and Gleyber Torres can be valuable trade assets in 2015 as they get more exposure to pro ball. Tseng should be getting some love too. (Mauricio Rubio)
2014-06-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)	I know you've seen Kane County some this year. How optimistic should Cub fans be on Tseng, Blackburn, Torrez, and Underwood? (David from Malibu)	Tseng is the best pitching prospect in the Cubs organization, above Pierce Johnson for me. He features a 91-94 MPH fastball with plus command projection, and two solid average secondary offerings in a true curveball and change up. He's extremely polished for a 19 year old kid, and could be a low 3, high 4 type. Blackburn I've seen a few times, and have come away underwhelmed. The FB works mostly in the 89-91 range, and I don't see much velo projection left, as the arm isn't very quick. The pitch flattens when it's elevated, and he's more of a sinker baller He has a curve that projects to be around average, but it's not a bat misser. The delivery is simple and repeatable, but he looks to be more of a command/control back of the rotation guy. (Jordan Gorosh)
2014-05-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)	It's early, but at what point do you get concerned with the Cubs farm system taking a step back, development-wise? Bryant is really the only prospect that's performing well. Alcantara's performance has slipped, Pierce Johnson has been hurt and has had control issues, CJ Edwards started strong and then got hurt, Jorge Soler has been banged up and Albert Almora started slow. I'm not on the ledge, I know it's early... but, uh, make me feel better. (TulaneCubs from Chicago)	Let's see...player development isn't linear, many of those guys are young for their level...and there are other 'lesser' names that have done nicely (Hannemann, Tseng...although he just had a start cx'd but I think he's fine) (Harry Pavlidis)
2014-01-02 13:00:00 (link to chat)	C.j Edwards or Pierce Johnson? (Mike from Ingleside )	C.J. Edwards and it's not that close for me. In the end I think he's a #3 starter and Johnson is more of a 4/5 (Craig Goldstein)
2013-09-27 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Much has been made among CHC fans about their Big 4 prospects(Baez, Almora, Bryant, Soler),which guys in the 5-10 range in their system intrigue you most?Btw, is Olt redeemable? (Matt from Chicago)	Mike Olt is absolutely redeemable. I still believe in his ability to be a very good everyday player. As for the 5-10 range, I like the progress scouts reported seeing with Dillon Maples this year. The addition of CJ Edwards and having guys like Duane Underwood and Pierce Johnson make for some quality depth outside of the top four guys. (Mark Anderson)
2013-09-27 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Us Cub fans are pretty excited about our top 2 SP prospects: P. Johnson and CJ Edwards. Can you talk a bit about how good they can be? (MKPJ from Chicago)	Pierce Johnson is a good #3 starter for me if it all comes together, and I tend to think Edwards fits in the same range, but he could surpass that by a little bit. I haven't seen much of Edwards yet so I'm going solely on second-hand reports. Fellow BPers Jason Parks and Jason Cole will have more to say about Edwards. (Mark Anderson)
2013-08-27 13:00:00 (link to chat)	What can you tell me about Dillon Maples? He had a really rough start to the year and was demoted. Since the demotion he looks to have turned a corner. The walks are down and the k's are up. What kind of upside do you see with him? Does he have the stuff to keep up with other Cubs prospects such as Pierce Johnson? Also, thanks for the chat. These are always a lot of fun to follow. (Bill from Chicago)	For Maples it isn't about the numbers, especially in Boise. It's what his mechanics are like. Is he in good form and is he repeating it. I see him being a late inning reliever, or a total bust. Johnson is more of a legitimate starting pitcher candidate, even though he doesn't have the raw stuff that Maples can flash. And I'm still a Ben Wells fan, hoping for him to put it together in AA and make the next step next year. (Harry Pavlidis)
2013-08-27 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Can we make Prince Albert happen as a nickname for Pierce Johnson? It's just begging for it. (sitrick2 from Minneapolis, MN)	I don't have that kind of authority. (Harry Pavlidis)
2013-07-25 13:00:00 (link to chat)	The Cubs minor league system is obviously stacked offensively, but there doesn't appear to be much impact talent on the pitching side. I saw PIerce Johnson throw at Kane County a couple of times and I really liked what I saw. Are there any pitching prospects in the system that you are high on? (jmaas14 from Sycamore,IL)	JOhnson is a quality arm; like him a lot. Adding Edwards to the mix certainly helps, as does getting Juan Paniagua back into the states and on a field. (Jason Parks)
2013-06-13 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Are you surprised at Kyle Hendricks success this season at AA for Tennessee (Cubs) and should he be considered one of the Cubs top pitching prospects? (Mike from Illinois)	The Cubs are obviously very bat-heavy in their system, and many of the top arms are either hurt (Vizcaino) or at the lower levels (Pierce Johnson in Low-A, Dillon Maples in Low-A, Duane Underwood in extended spring). So by default Hendricks is one of their better arms at the upper levels. There's nothing too sexy about Hendricks, but he can really pitch, so I'm not surprised he's having success this year. I saw Hendricks a couple times last year in Myrtle Beach. Haven't gotten a report on him last year but here's what I saw – located and mixed deep arsenal very well. Not a lot of life on anything but sat 87-91-ish with his fastball but showed the ability to pop 92-93 and the occasional 94 when needed. Very deceptive changeup that also didn't have a lot of movement. He also had a cut-slider and big get-me-over curveball. The stuff is very fringe and it's probably a no. 5 starter at best, but he can locate and mix, so that gives him a shot. (Jason Cole)
2013-05-10 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Doug! Thanks for the chat!!! I know that the Cubs are likely to go with a pitcher (Appel or Gray) with the #2 pick, but I was wondering what kind of potential they currently have lower in the system. I have heard names like Maples, Pierce Johnson, and Blackburn. What do these guys offer? Do you think any of them have the stuff to be a #2 starter? (Steve from Bayshore)	I wish I could give a proper response, but low-level guys are a bit under my radar. I would defer to our excellent prospect team to get a better picture of the Cubbies' potential on the mound. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=18849 (Doug Thorburn)

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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC

Pierce Johnson has thrown 4,131 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2017 and 2024, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2024, he has relied primarily on his Curve (86mph), also mixing in a Fourseam Fastball (96mph). He also rarely throws a Cutter (93mph).