Mitchell ace Cobi Johnson’s long wait ended when the Padres selected him Saturday in the 35th round (pick No. 1047) of baseball’s amateur draft.
After beginning his career as a catcher, the 6-foot-4 right-hander moved to pitcher and shortstop as a junior, and he dominated the North Suncoast. He posted a 1.68 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 71 innings to help the Mustangs reach the region finals.
Johnson battled elbow inflammation this spring and was limited early in the year. He recovered well enough to pitch Mitchell to the playoffs and strike out 51 batters in only 31 1/3 innings.
His fastball sits in the low 90s and has touched 94 mph, and he also throws a curveball and changeup.
MLB.com ranked him as the draft’s No. 77 prospect, and Baseball America pegged him as the draft’s No. 28 right-handed pitcher.
His father, Dane, pitched in the majors and now serves as a pitching coordinator for the Blue Jays’ farm system.
Johnson has already signed with Florida State.