- Full name Kyle Vernon Cruz Johnson
- Born 06/25/2005 in Alexandria, VA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: L
- School Riverside
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Duke. Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1
Johnson has shined on both sides of the baseball for the Blue Devils, posting a .333/.360/.542 slash line along with a 1.06 ERA. Johnson has a strong righthanded swing in the box with plus hand speed, though his contact ability will need to drastically improve. The verdict is still out on whether he’ll hit or pitch long term, but right now I like him more as a pitcher. On the bump, Johnson’s fastball will sit 92-94 and touch 96. He supplements his heater with a high-70s slider and a mid-80s changeup. His changeup is nearly 10 mph off his fastball and has flashed above-average, while his slider has also garnered its fair share of whiffs. The best two-way player in the class, Johnson will be a big-time name to follow closely. -
School: Riverside HS, Leesburg, Va. Source: HS
Commit/Drafted: Duke
Age At Draft: 18
Johnson is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound lefthander and outfielder who has flashed tools on both sides of the ball. On the mound, he works with an up-tempo delivery and has a clean, three-quarter arm slot that he repeats consistently, with good balance in his finish. He pitches in the 89-92 mph range and has been up to 93-94 at peak velocity this spring, and also mixes in a slow breaking ball and a changeup. Johnson’s breaking ball is loopy and lacks bite at times, so it’ll need more work at the next level to develop a consistent shape and turn into a swing-and-miss offering. His changeup has shown hard darting action away from righthanded hitters and looks like a solid secondary. Offensively, Johnson showed solid bat-to-ball skills as a righthanded hitter, but he has below-average raw power. He’s a solid runner and has above-average arm strength in the outfield. Johnson is a Duke commit who turns 18 only a few days before the draft.
