Oxford High head coach Travis Janssen took his family to Fenway Park in Boston last week.
Janssen watched the Red Sox take on the Oakland A’s with star Yellow Jacket infielder Carter Johnson’s possible future in mind.
“I was watching Oakland and Boston through a lens of ‘What is Carter going to look like and can he fit in at that level?’” Janssen said.
Johnson could get a chance to prove that sooner rather than later.
The left-handed hitting shortstop and Alabama commit was selected in the second round of Sunday’s Major League Baseball Draft by the Miami Marlins. The two-time, first-team All-state infielder was the No. 56 pick overall. He was the second player with Alabama ties selected in the draft behind Crimson Tide pitcher Ben Hess (No. 26 overall).
“If he stays healthy, I think he definitely can play in the majors and that is what scouts are trying to forecast,” Janssen said. “They are trying to pick kids who can make it to the major leagues and not stall out in AA or AAA. I don’t see any reason he can’t. …
“He has to stay healthy and keep working, but he has all those skills. He also has the combination of humility but is also very confident in himself as a player. And he just loves the game. He is different in that regard. He loves to play and loves to practice. A lot of guys have talent and some abilities but maybe don’t have the passion to see it through.
“Carter really, really loves to play.”
Johnson helped power Oxford to the Class 6A state championship as a junior. As a senior this past season, he hit .364 with 21 RBIs and 46 runs scored. He also stole 14 of 15 bases and had four saves on the mound.
Keith Law of the Athletic said Johnson could be this year’s Colt Emerson, who was picked 22nd overall by the Mariners in 2023 out of Concord, Ohio.
“Johnson hit very well against better competition in the summer and fall but wasn’t quite as good this spring in Alabama until the very end, when he started to drive the ball a little more often for extra bases,” Law said. “He has good bat speed that helps him overcome a slight bat wrap behind his head, with average raw power but a tendency to catch the ball too far in front that limits his in-game power to a 45. He’s a shortstop now but more likely to end up at second or third. He offers a higher floor than most high school bats in the class because of the wide confidence that he’s going to hit for average and contact.”
Janssen said Johnson could play short, second or third.
“I personally think he has the skills to stick at short,” he said. “He can be a valuable infielder at any of those spots. The hands are there, the arms are there and, if you look at his body, he’s going to put on weight and muscle in his early 20s, and I think the power is really going to show up.”
Janssen said Johnson’s bat is what intrigues major league scouts.
“If you grade out the five tools, the thing that is so attractive for people is his hitting ability,” he said. “That is going to be a separator for him and a lot of kids. Last summer, he kept proving to people he could hit quality pitching with a wood bat and that, of course, ended with Team USA. Scouts got to see him in a 2-3 month stretch where he really did a nice job with the bat.”
The approximate pick value for the spot Johnson was drafted in is $1.6 million.