Bio
Right-hander Evan Johnson born in Ames, Iowa and raised in Gilbert comes home to his native state after spending 2019-2022 with the Seattle Mariners organization. The Mariners inked Johnson as a non-drafted free agent after his 2019 season at Creighton. He would begin his professional career in 2019, making three stops in the Mariners system. Johnson made nine starts at Low A West Virginia where he went 2-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 38.1 innings. He would strike out 21 while giving up 35 hits and 20 earned runs with a 1.461 WHIP. In 14.2 innings at short-season A Everett, he would go 0-1 with a save, adding 14 strikeouts in five games. Johnson would appear in one game at High A Modesto, pitching three innings and giving up five earned runs.
Johnson did not play in 2020 due to the world-wide pandemic but would see time during the 2021 season at High A Everett and one game at AAA Tacoma. He made 17 appearances out of the pen at Everett with one start, putting up a 2-0 record with one save. Johnson tallied 26.2 innings with 42 strikeouts and a 2.70 ERA. He allowed just eight earned runs on 19 hits with a 1.312 WHIP with the Aqua Sox.
Johnson returned to High A in 2022 and was third out of the bullpen in appearances for Everett. He went 3-0 with a 4.70 ERA with a pair of saves on the season. He would pitch in 27 games totaling 38.1 innings. The righty would punch out 52 batters while giving up 20 earned runs on 29 hits for Everett.
Johnson went 8-2 while pitching in 17 games and making 14 starts his final season with Creighton, helping the Blue Jays win the Big East title. He finished second on the staff in innings pitched with 77.1, and his 74 strikeouts also placed him second on the team. His eight wins tied the team lead while he went 8-2 with a 3.26 ERA. Johnson‘s ERA was the lowest among the qualified starters for Creighton. He surrendered 28 earned runs on 56 hits with a 1.267 WHIP. Johnson capped off the season being named All-Big East Second Team and saved one of his best games for the NCAA Regionals. He would help the Bluejays eliminate the defending national champion Oregon State Beavers on their home field with 5.1 innings of one-run ball.
In his first season at Creighton in 2018, Johnson appeared in 13 games as a Bluejay, coming out of the bullpen in each contest. He would work in 13.1 innings, striking out eight with a 6.08 ERA. Johnson spent the 2017 and 2018 summer season in the Northwoods League. He would go 2-0 in 2017 with a 4.99 ERA with Thunder Bay and 5-0 the next summer with St. Cloud. He would put up a sparkling 1.80 ERA, the lowest on the team, and his five wins was also first on the club. Johnson would spend 2016 and 2017 at Iowa Central Community College. There he would appear in 27 games over the two seasons. He was 7-4 for his career with 61 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. Johnson earned four letters in baseball at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Iowa and was named All-State Second team as a senior.