Nuts Cut to the Chase, Re-Sign Dependable Reliever Johnson
January 26, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
WICHITA, KS (January 26, 2015) - From one season to the next, there is typically a large deal of turnover in the roster of an independent baseball team. As a result, looking at the career path of many baseball players with extensive experience in the independent ranks can be an exhausting task. One player who certainly exemplifies the often nomadic lifestyle of such an athlete is the Wichita Wingnuts newest signee, relief pitcher Chase Johnson. Johnson has played for six different teams in the span of four seasons. By re-signing with the Wingnuts for 2015, Johnson has ensured that he will start a season with the same team he finished the previous one, for the first time in his career.
The 6'5 right-hander came to Wichita from the United League during the club's final road trip of the regular season and immediately made his presence known. He pitched one inning in eight of the final 12 games and gave up just one run in that span. His final numbers featured four games finished with one save, seven strikeouts, four walks, and just seven hits allowed. The momentum created by those stellar performances carried into the postseason where he appeared in five of the seven contests. Johnson never allowed a run to cross the plate and recorded a perfect inning three times. In his 13 combined appearances, opponents are hitting just .208 off of Johnson in a Wingnuts' uniform.
A 26-year old from Scottsdale, Arizona, Johnson was selected in the 21st round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies out of South Mountain Community College in Phoenix. After pitching for three seasons in the organization and making it to Single-A Lakewood in 2011, Johnson was granted his release and began an independent career that has featured stops in Fargo-Moorhead, Amarillo, Grand Prairie, Winnipeg, Fort Worth, and now Wichita. He began 2014 with the Winnipeg Goldeyes, but after allowing three runs in three innings over three games he was released and signed with the Fort Worth Cats. In 30.1 innings he gave up just seven runs, two of which were earned, and finished with a spectacular 0.59 ERA and nine saves for a team that lost in the United League Championship series.
Johnson is the 12th player to join the Wingnuts for 2015. The roster can include up to 28 players until two days prior to the start of the regular season when the active roster must be trimmed to 22. The eighth season of Wichita Wingnuts baseball begins on Thursday, May 21st in Joplin, with the home opener against the Winnipeg Goldeyes taking place on Tuesday, May 26th. For information on season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Wingnuts' main office at (316) 264-NUTS, or visit the Wingnuts' official website at www.wichitawingnuts.com .
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American Association Stories from January 26, 2015
- Nuts Cut to the Chase, Re-Sign Dependable Reliever Johnson - Wichita Wingnuts
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