Third time’s a charm for Chicago White Sox pitcher Erik Johnson?
Pitcher Erik Johnson is a well built right-hander who is yet to find success in the Majors. A former 80th overall selection by the Chicago White Sox in 2011, Johnson has had two stints thus far in his somewhat brief professional career.
The White Sox drafted him out of Cal-Berkeley in 2011 and Johnson has only been pitching at levels higher than Single-A ball in the system since 2013. He did not log more than 30 innings pitched in either of his previous big league experiences. A late call-up in September of 2013 produced deceptive numbers. His ERA was 3.25, but his FIP was 5.40 with a detestable K:BB ratio of 1.64.
In 2014, the results did not improve, again having started five games for the White Sox. Only then, he cracked the club out of Spring Training and logged all of his starts in April with un-convincing results (1-1, 6.46).
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Now, it appears as though the second to last place White Sox in the AL Central division will need to give Johnson another look. Through 19 appearances and 18 starts in 2015, he leads the International League in strikeouts with 110. His ERA of 2.49 is also amongst the five best marks by a starter and Johnson seems to have found his command at age 25. His 3.06 K:BB is the best it has been in three seasons of playing Triple-A. Also, he’s allowed only three home runs through 105 IP. Last year with the Charlotte Knights, Johnson had surrendered 11 deep balls through 105.2 IP.
Johnson has been especially hot as of late, having allowed only three total earned runs in eight starts dating back to June 10. With the way he’s dealing now, the White Sox should see the writing on the wall. Putting their best foot forward until October and looking to the future would mean no longer giving starts to John Danks. The rest of the rotation comes well-rounded or with potential, but Danks has been under-performing for years. He’s the only starter on the staff right now with a FIP north of 4.00 and he has not logged a complete season with an ERA south of 4.00 since 2010’s posting of 3.72.
Danks twice allowed six earned runs in two of his five July outings. With his continued recent struggles, a demotion should not be out of the question. The White Sox have known for years what he brings to the table. Sure, his $15.75 million salary is tough to stomach, but he is the Southside’s version to the Northside’s Edwin Jackson of the Cubs, who is making $13 M and was re-assigned earlier this year.
With Danks pitching for the Charlotte Knights, he likely won’t be claimed off waivers. Few teams will want to pay the southpaw his final years worth of pay in 2016 at $15.75 M. But promoting Erik Johnson isn’t about shaming Danks, it’s about seeing if the team could have a viable starter moving forward.
Danks is 30, while Johnson is only 25 and won’t be a free agent until 2021. Expect the ace of the Knights to arrive in Chi-Town when rosters expand September 1, if not sooner. When that happens, Kyle Drabek might not be far behind him.