Mlb 2007 Draft

Johnson has the tools to make it in the bigs

CARY, N.C. -- It's unlikely that anyone would have faulted Brian Johnson had he decided to beg off national team duty after going all the way to the College World Series championship with the University of Florida, only to lose to the University of South Carolina.

But Johnson and Gators teammate Nolan Fontana, both USA Baseball alumni, never hesitated. After losing on Tuesday in Omaha, the pair took a short break before hustling to North Carolina to join the Collegiate National Team in time for the Prospect Classic.

Fresh off the plane on Friday, Johnson wasted no time contributing, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs as the designated hitter and throwing 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief as well.

"We were kind of scrambling to get our uniforms together and get ready to stretch," said Johnson, who on Saturday started at first base and went 0-for-2 in the Collegiate Team's 8-1 victory over the 18-and-under national trial squad. "I was just going out there relaxed, trying to put some good swings together. My arm felt good. I had some good time off. I threw at the World Series, so my arm felt fresh, and I was ready to go."

Johnson is one of the better two-way players in the Draft class of 2012, especially from the college ranks. During Florida's run, he hit .307 as a first baseman while going 8-3 with a 3.62 ERA over 79 2/3 innings as a member of the rotation. He tossed a scoreless inning of relief in that final game on Tuesday.

Johnson loves pitching and hitting, and he is looking forward to being able to do that with USA Baseball and for another season at Florida.

"My whole life, somebody told me, 'When you get to high school, you'll have to pick one,'" he said. "'Then when you get to college, you're going to have to pick one.' When I played summer ball -- 'You'll have to pick one.' Everyone keeps saying it, but I've always been allowed to do both, and I'm just thankful to have the opportunity to do both."

Johnson is a realist, however, and understands that the time will come -- most likely after he enters pro ball a year from now -- for his days as a two-way player to end. He's made his peace with it, and he will be more than willing to finally focus on one over the other.

"I'm perfectly fine with picking one," he said. "Whatever one it is, I hope to do my best at it, work as hard as I can to be the best I can at it.

MLB Atlanta Braves#22 Jason Heyward | Great Jersey

Jason Heyward was considered the consensus number one Major League Baseball prospect for the 2010 season. Baseball America, Keith Law of ESPN.com and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com all listed Jason Heyward as baseball’s top prospect in 2010 season previews. In 2007, he was regarded as the top prospect in the Braves minor league system, according to Baseball America, being listed by the publication as the organization’s best power hitter and having the best strike zone discipline in the system.

Amateur career

Jason Heyward was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey but moved to Georgia soon after he was born. He was selected 14th overall by Atlanta in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, and signed a deal worth $1.7 million – $170,000 more than MLB’s slot recommendation of $1.53 million, and the same as the 2006 14th-slot amount that the Toronto Blue Jays gave Travis Snider on August 12, 2007.

Professional career

At 17, Jason Heyward started his professional career for the Braves, first with the GCL Braves and then with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League, hitting a combined .302 batting average with one home run and six RBIs in 12 games. In 2008 he hit a combined .316 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs in 127 games for Class-A Rome and Advanced-A Myrtle Beach, including 91 runs, 15 stolen bases, and a .854 OPS.

Jason Heyward started 2009 at Myrtle Beach, gaining successive promotions to Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. In 99 games, he was a .323 hitter with 17 homers and 10 steals, including high numbers in OBP (.408), SLG (.555), and OPS (.963), while scoring 69 runs and driving in 63 RBIs. In September 2009, Jason Heyward was named the Minor League Player of the Year both by Baseball America and USA Today.

During Spring Training in March 2010, Jason Heyward hit two notable batting practice home runs. One hit and damaged a Coca-Cola truck in the parking lot, and another broke the sunroof of Atlanta Braves’ assistant GM Bruce Manno’s car in the same lot.

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