THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Draft  | Story | 6/23/2023

Cam Can Do It

Photo: Cam Johnson (Perfect Game)
As Cam Johnson recalls it, he was seven or eight years old when his father Steve shared an observation as visionary as it was succinct:

“Hey, man, baseball might be your sport.”



Steve Johnson may well have been the first person to posit that his son could be OK at America’s pastime. But he’s definitely not the last. To the contrary, with Major League Baseball’s 2023 amateur draft set to begin on July 9, the Cam Johnson Bandwagon is becoming awfully crowded.

The 18-year-old left-hander is back atop the draftnik conversations thanks to a pair of high-profile mound showings that appear to have greatly assuaged concerns about his pitching elbow. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, the LSU commit Johnson can’t be ignored as long as he’s pitching, and he’s pitching again, following a rest for tendinitis that cut short his senior campaign at IMG Academy.


                                                                                                                                   
Johnson “outshone every pitcher who threw at the (MLB Draft) Combine,” MLB.com’s draft guru Jim Calls wrote this past week from Phoenix. And as MLB’s master statistician Sarah Langs pointed out on Wednesday’s telecast, the 95.9 miles per hour that Johnson’s fastball averaged in his Combine bullpen session would have placed him behind only two major-league southpaws in 2023, the Rays’ Shane McClanahan and the Marlins’ Jesus Lazardo, both of whom stood at a 96.7 average at the time of the Combine. Johnson actually hit 100 mph three times in a game this past season, according to IMG varsity assistant coach/pitching coordinator Steve Frey.

“There’s a reason why he gets comparisons to CC Sabathia,” said T.J. Hose, a former professional pitcher who has coached Johnson since his first year of high school.

Indeed, a veteran talent evaluator who has seen Johnson, speaking on the condition of anonymity, dropped the names of two big-time comparables: Sabathia, selected 20th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 1998 draft, as well as Brien Taylor, popped first overall by the Yankees in 1991.

“He’s a big horse of a guy, and he’s coordinated,” the evaluator said.

It has required considerable coordination for Johnson to reach this point. His mother Tatia Johnson teamed up with her husband Steve, raising their family in Upper Marlboro, Md., to provide an excellent support system for their son, encouraging him to pursue his passion while not forgetting about his studies (Cam is now a criminology buff). Hose met Johnson during his time at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md. and helped him refine both his mechanics and his mental approach to pitching; “You want to have your mind think of one thing at a time instead of lots of things at one time,” Johnson said. 

And as Johnson elevated his game in the summer between his sophomore and junior years, excelling on the national circuit, he engaged in conversations with professionals Mason Albright and James Wood about IMG, their alma mater, and decided to transfer there for the fall of 2022. Not only did that pay off on the baseball side, as he put together an 0.78 ERA over six appearances totaling 27 innings, striking out 43 and walking 12 for the team anointed by MaxPreps as the national champions, but living by himself, far from home in Bradenton, Fla., forced Johnson to grow as a person, too.

“No one’s there to wake you up,” Johnson said. “No one’s there to tell you to get your laundry. No one’s there to tell you to do your homework. It’s all on you.”

When Johnson felt something on the outside of his left elbow while pitching against Parkview on April 5, the game lasted only four innings, a 15-0 Ascenders shutout, he was self-aware enough to quickly say something to Frey, who pitched in the major leagues for eight years. Shortly after, the rest of Team Cam, which included his advisor Tom O’Connell, huddled to mull the next step.

“A week later, I started feeling better,” Johnson said. “But we all took precautions and we just decided to shut it down, because I can go out there and just throw and something happens. So we just wanted to make sure everything was OK and everything was just safe to throw again at full intensity. Just build my way back up.”

That buildup included an appointment with legendary orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who examined Johnson and came away convinced that all was copacetic. 

“It’s real when he gives the thumbs-up,” Johnson said of Andrews.


Johnson looked oh-so real on June 12 in Lakeland, Fla. taking the mound in the Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Baseball Classic in front of roughly 40 representatives from MLB clubs. It marked his first game in over two months, and to add to the challenge, the grounds crew at Henley Field took an inordinately long time to prepare, compelling Johnson to warm up three times before finally toeing the slab. His first inning hit some turbulence, as he gave up a pair of singles, walked another batter and saw his teammates struggle defensively, pushing two runs across, even as he struck out two. He responded to that messy liftoff with a dominant second inning, fanning two more and retiring the third batter on a grounder to short as he showed off a fantastic slider and promising changeup

“I took a deep breath in the dugout after that first inning (and said), ‘Let’s do this, baby. Time to turn it up a notch,’” Johnson said. “And after that, I was just on a roll. Back to my usual self. That slider was the best slider I've had and I've thrown. That changeup, I've been working on that ever since shutting down. It’s a new grip (he picked it up from Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez on a YouTube video) and I think that’s paid off very nicely.”

The Lakeland performance put Johnson back on stage, and the Combine elevated him to center stage. MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd, the former Colorado Rockies general manager, commended Johnson for his “physicality,” and O’Dowd’s TV teammate Harold Reynolds called Johnson’s slider “a separator.” Furthermore, Reynolds described Johnson’s frame as “a quick-to-the-big-leagues body. He could be in the big leagues by 20.”

(Concerning his physicality and fitness, credit Johnson for eating well, even while living alone. As he said: “I used to eat pizza. Now I have salmon. Instead of brownie bites, eat an apple. Just better habits, basically.” Many of us, even if we’re not aspiring to play a professional sport, can learn from him.)

“The sky’s the ceiling on this kid,” Frey said. It’s just a matter of Johnson’s preferred travel method, either going next to LSU and head coach Jay Johnson or signing with the MLB club that chooses him.

“It’s going to be a tough decision come that day,” Johnson said, looking ahead to the draft. “At the end of the day, it’s my decision. It’s my future. I think there's going to be a lot of stuff that’s going to be on my mind during that time but I know I have a team behind me that'll make those decisions and we’re going to think it through thoroughly and hope for the best.”

Steve Johnson called it: Baseball definitely is his son’s sport. So much so that the sport, it sure seems, is ready to bet heavily on Cam Johnson’s future.

-Ken Davidoff
Give us your feedback
Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects
Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
Read More
College | Story | 12/25/2025

2025 Year in Review: College

Craig Cozart
Article Image
The LSU Tigers Win It All Again For the second time in the last three years, the LSU Tigers, led by head coach Jay Johnson secured the national title. The national championship was the eight in LUS program history as they swept Coastal Carolina in the MCWS championship series. As a result, Johnson was virtually a unanimous choice for National Coach of the Year on media outlets and is the fastest coach to win multiple CWS championships at a single school. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player was Tigers’ lefthanded ace and Perfect Game First-Team All-American, Kade Anderson highlighted by his complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the CWS Finals. The roster was a tremendous blend of offensive firepower, frontline pitching and elite defense, leaving opponents with very few avenues to victory. PG Second-Team All-American, Jared Jones was the heart of the lineup with his 20...
Read More
High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Read More
Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
Read More
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 22

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Lucien Saint Cyr, INF, Class of 2026 Commitment: Bucknell Saint Cyr announced his pledge to Bucknell, giving the Bison an interesting blend of present tools and projection. Saint Cyr stands 6-foot-1 and offers room to fill in his medium frame, profiling in the middle infield defensively. The New York product starts wide at the base in the right-handed box, keeping his hands high behind the ear. He works into a subtle outward step load, firing through a compact barrel that showcases bat speed and gap-to-gap impact. For head coach Scott Heather and Bucknell, they land a high-quality Northeast infielder in the ’26 cycle, adding to a class that takes the quality over quantity approach. Patrick Diaz ('26, NY) 102 EV off the bat. Impact to the pull side. #PGNational @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/NN0L3FRdO9 — PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 9, 2025 Patrick Diaz,...
Read More
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2025 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.