Johnson's power impresses Sox
The Louisville second baseman, who was selected by the White Sox in the 20th round of last week's First-Year Player Draft, belted a pair of homers and drove in three runs in Friday's 15-10 loss to Rice. It was Johnson's third multi-homer game of the season and gave him 15 for the year.
The power he flashed Friday -- he also has 62 RBIs and is hitting .363 -- is one of the big reasons Chicago believes Johnson has a bright future.
"If he's not an everyday guy, then he certainly can be a utility guy," said Duane Shaffer, the White Sox's senior director of amateur scouting. "He has some juice in his bat and he has a chance to play two or three positions. So when we drafted him, we obviously looked at that. He has 15 homers this year and you never know what can happen with a kid like that. Hopefully, we have a diamond in the rough.
"I like him at second or third. We hope he can play the middle infield because that will only add to his value. We think he can. We'll send him out and see where he fits in. But his bat is the key. That's going to carry him wherever he goes. If he hits, we'll find a place for him. That won't be a problem."
Johnson has also been hit by 73 pitches in his career, fifth-most in NCAA history. He was plunked 31 times this year alone, which is fourth all-time. The Sox are going to start Johnson at Bristol of the Appalachian League, but Shaffer added "that with his bat, he probably won't stay there long."
The Sox also had a sizeable contingent of players represented in Saturday's action. They drafted three players from Cal State-Fullerton and one from Arizona State. Fullerton catcher John Curtis [14th round] was drafted highest among Saturday's group. He's slated to begin at Great Falls of the Pioneer League.
"Curtis has always been a leader for them," Shaffer said. "And on his watch, they've been pretty good. He's taken their pitchers, who for the most part have been marginal, and they've had a great year behind him. He's their leader and a guy we like that can go a long way. Again, we'll just have to wait and see how he takes to pro ball."
The Sox chose Fullerton outfielder Nick Mahin in the 16th round and he, too, will be headed to Bristol. Mahin was hitting .287 with nine homers and 45 RBIs heading into Saturday night's CWS opener against Oregon State.
"He has some power and we really like his bat," Shaffer said. "The ball jumps off his bat pretty well."
Chicago also took pitcher Justin Klipp in the 22nd round and ASU outfielder Mike Jones in the 42nd round. Jones also plays wide receiver on the Sun Devils football team and has caught 24 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons.
A DEVIL OF A TIME: Ike Davis homered leading off the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday afternoon, lifting Arizona State to a 5-4 victory over UC-Irvine in opening-round action.
The Anteaters had rallied from a three-run deficit to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth. Bryan Peterson [fourth round, Marlins] connected for a two-run triple to help fuel the rally. The Sun Devils tied it on a C.J. Retherford homer in the fifth, setting the stage for Davis' blast in the eighth.
BEAVERS BOP TITANS: Oregon State returned to Rosenblatt Stadium for the first time since winning last year's College World Series and again seemed right at home.
The Beavers received some spectacular pitching, both from starter Jorge Reyes and the bullpen, while riding the long ball to a 3-2 victory over Cal State-Fullerton.
The Beavers advanced to a winner's bracket game on Monday against Arizona State, while the Titans face UC-Irvine in an elimination game.
Reyes (6-3) scattered three hits and one run over six innings, striking out three before turning it over to the 'pen. Joe Paterson pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, before closer Eddie Kunz [compensation round, Mets] came in with runners on the corners. Kunz recorded his 12th save after inducing a game-ending groundout from pinch-hitter Joel Weeks.
Mike Lissman gave the Beavers a 1-0 lead in the first with a homer off Wes Roemer (11-7). Scott Santschi padded the lead in the second with an RBI single. Fullerton's Nick Mahin [16th round, White Sox] cut into the deficit with a solo homer in the third, and that's how it stayed until Santschi smacked a one-out homer in the seventh.
Mahin brought home the Titans' second run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth but never got a chance to bat in the ninth as Kunz quieted the two-out rally.
Roemer [compensation round, Diamondbacks] scattered seven hits over eight innings, striking out seven without walking a batter.
THIS AND THAT: The Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award finalists were announced, with a pair of first-round selections leading the way. Georgia Tech's Matt Wieters, who went fifth overall to the Orioles, and Mississippi State's Edward Easley, who went 61st to the Diamondbacks, are joined by Florida State's Buster Posey, who played shortstop as a freshman. He is the first sophomore ever nominated for the award, which will be handed out on June 27 in Wichita. ... Peterson finished the day 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Teammate Cody Cipriano [ninth round, Devil Rays] was 0-for-3 with a run scored, while first baseman Taylor Holiday [19th round, Yankees] was 0-for-3. Anteaters third baseman Tyler Vaughn [22nd round, Mets] was 0-for-2, while outfielder Matt Morris [23rd round, Yankees] had a hit and scored a run in four at-bats. Dylan Axelrod [30th round, Padres] recorded two outs in a scoreless inning for Irvine. "He's got a good arm," said Grady Fuson, San Diego's vice president of scouting and player development. "He's not overpowering, but he touches 90 plenty of times. He's efficient and a strike thrower, so we'll see what he has by the time we sign him." ... ASU's Eric Sogard [second round, Padres] was 3-for-4, while Matt Spencer [third round, Phillies] was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer. Teammate Tim Smith [seventh round, Rangers] was 1-for-3, while Andrew Romine [fifth round, Angels] was hitless in three at-bats.
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com.