Local product Johnson enters Nats system after switch to full-time pitcher

The MLB Draft is special for any young player selected. This week, 615 players from the high school and college ranks were drafted by the 30 major league teams to start their professional careers. Dreams came true this week.

It is especially special when a player is drafted by a local team, meaning he can stay close to home near friends and family.

Luke Johnson is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander out of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County who the Nationals selected with their 10th-round pick, No. 290 overall.

The 22-year-old is native of Lewes, Del., and went to Cape Henlopen High School, just a couple of hours east of Washington, D.C. He then played three years of college ball at UMBC, just 45 minutes up the road from Nationals Park.

Johnson started his college career as a two-way player at UMBC. He slashed .250/.313/.386 with a .699 OPS, seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and 24 RBIs in 97 games over his first three seasons while playing all over the field. And although he did take three at-bats, he made the transformation as a full-time pitcher for his senior season.

Over his four seasons on the mound, Johnson went 17-10 with a 4.34 ERA, 1.316 WHIP, 8.7 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate and 2.49 strikeouts-to-walks rate in 54 games. 52 of which were starts.

He had a really strong junior season, going 7-1 with a 2.96 ERA, 1.278 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 and 2.21 K/BB in 79 innings over 14 starts en route to becoming just the second player in America East Conference history to win Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back seasons after he also earned the honor in 2022.

But he took a small step backwards this year, which might have hurt his draft status.

In 14 starts for the Retrievers this spring, Johnson went 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA, 1.270 WHIP, seven homers, 22 walks, 81 strikeouts and eight hit batters over 80 ⅓ innings. But he did post strong rates with home runs, strikeouts and walks: 0.8 home runs per nine innings, 9.1 K/9, 2.5 walks per nine innings and 3.68 K/BB.

“Luke is a strike thrower,” said Reed Dunn, the Nats' new assistant director and national crosschecker of amateur scouting. “He's a fierce competitor with excellent makeup, which I think you probably have heard enough to think is a common theme. We really put an emphasis on that with meeting and getting to know our players.”

The Nats also got to know Johnson better during the MLB Draft League. In two starts, he went 2-0 and allowed one run, 10 hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over 11 ⅓ innings for a 0.79 ERA and 0.971 WHIP.

A small sample size that may have been a big help in the Nats’ selection.

“Luke threw well in the Draft League and he was a two-time America East Pitcher of the Year,” said Dunn. “So we really felt that Luke has some pedigree, competitiveness, strike thrower that gave him a little bit of upside, obviously, as you said, going to the (pitcher only) now. So we're excited to have Luke with the organization.”

Johnson is only one year removed from being a two-way player. But in that small amount of time solely focusing on pitching, he did enough to convince the Nats brass in their draft war room that he was worthy of a 10th-round pick.

“Throwing strikes and being able to go multiple innings,” Dunn said of what Johnson showed at the Draft League. “I think that's really important for any potential starting pitcher.”

The Nationals reportedly signed Johnson to $2,000. The slot value for the 290th pick is $185,200.

If you’re asking why Johnson would agree to a signing bonus that low, you’re not alone. It’s confusing.

Since the introduction of the bonus pool, teams often draft college seniors and sign them to deals well below slot value, typically between Rounds 5-10.

Many of those college seniors will agree to these underslot deals because it’s their best chance to play professional baseball. If they don’t, they usually end up playing in independent leagues or stop playing all together.

College seniors are aware of these smaller bonuses. They usually understand what kind of bonus they will be signing for before the draft. Bonus pool savings is crucial for teams because if they don’t sign a player, the team loses the slot value assigned to that pick regardless.

Baseball America was the first to report Johnson’s signing figure.

In signing Johnson, the Nats just added some more local talent to the farm system. Maryland natives James Wood and Trey Lipscomb are already at the major league level.

Johnson’s brother, Sam, plays baseball at Washington College in Chestertown, Md. His father, Drew, played baseball at the University of Maryland and professionally in the Orioles organization.

He’ll also fit right in with the Nats and fan base, because his favorite professional sports team? The Washington Capitals.