Gamecock MLB Draft Profile: RHP Tyler Johnson

MLB Draft Result: 5th Round, pick 147 Chicago White Sox

Tyler Johnson started gaining national exposure as a sophomore when he willed the South Carolina Gamecocks out of the Columbia Regional and into the Super Regional with a complete game shutout of UNC-Wilmington in the Regional Final. He parlayed that into the closer spot on Team USA, where he posted a 2.35 ERA in eight appearances.

Even after he was injured early in the 2017 season, Johnson came back to finish the season strong — especially against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. Johnson is famous for his blazing fastball which had topped out at 100 a handful of times in his career. His slider can be an out pitch or a liability depending on the day, so that’s got to be a secondary pitch he does a better job of developing.

The six-foot-two, 205 pound righty out of Midlothian, Va. was a near unanimous All-American in the preseason. Even if his control can fluctuate wildly at times, Johnson has the stuff to be a successful closer at the next level.