PAGE 35 Six-foot-seven Henry Lalane has upside to match his height. Now, the Yankees lefthander will learn the finer points of pitching.
A dominating—but unexpected—spring training appearance has the Tigers’ Jackson Jobe positioned for what could be a monster season. PAGE 34
Johnson Has Stuff And Athleticism To Shine
Righthander Seth Johnson made his return from Tommy John surgery late last season to offer the Orioles a glimpse of the potential they acquired at the 2022 trade deadline.
This spring, the full scope of the 25-year-old’s talent was revealing.
“He’s just a very athletic, strong, explosive pitcher,” Orioles vice president of player development and domestic scouting Matt Blood said. “When he’s on the mound, he’s different in regards to the way he moves, and he’s cerebral, and he’s competitive.
“He’s got all that you’re looking for, and then on top of that, he’s got weapons.”
Blood said that Johnson pitches at 93-96 mph and throws a slider, curveball and changeup that all grade as average to above. And he throws a lot of strikes.
Johnson is a converted shortstop who took to pitching full time as a junior at Campbell. He was talented enough that the Rays drafted him 40th overall in 2019.
He dominated at High-A Bowling Green in 2022 before his elbow started barking.
Given that he needed surgery and the Rays were facing a 40-man roster crunch, Tampa Bay traded him to Baltimore in a three-team deal that sent Jose Siri to the Rays and Trey Mancini to the Astros.
Johnson impressed Orioles staff with how focused and determined he was in his rehab. He made five appearances across three levels upon returning in 2023, finishing at Double-A Bowie.
He’ll start there in 2024, with a few scenarios possible in the season ahead.
The Orioles could use this as a developmental year to build up Johnson’s arm strength and give him more innings. Or they could use his impressive arsenal in shorter spurts—perhaps in MLB because he’s already a member of the 40-man roster.
“Hopefully he helps the major league team this year,” Blood said.
—JON MEOLI
Campbell Excites Red Sox With New Swing
When the Red Sox drafted Kristian Campbell in the fourth round last year out of Georgia Tech, he had a couple of strong foundational skills.
He had elite contact rates and good speed, but the 6-foot-3, 191-pound second baseman also had untapped upside.
Despite impressive strength, he tended to spray the ball to all fields and rarely drove the ball in the air. His speed also seemed bottled up on the infield.
Campbell had a solid pro debut last summer, hitting .309/.441/.471 in 22 games while seeing some work in the outfield.
But he truly went to work at the end of the season, spending nearly the entire offseason in Fort Myers, Fla., to add strength and work on his swing and defense.
The results were noteworthy. This spring, the 21-year-old