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Jim Johnson Has Little Value
Los Angeles Angles relief pitcher Jim Johnson is the safest option for saves in the Angels bullpen, but is unlikely to open the season as the closer for Los Angeles. Johnson was acquired by Los Angeles this offseason after he saved 22 games for the Braves in 2017. He did have a 5.56 ERA and 1.48 WHIP for Atlanta and, while he struck out 61 batters in 56 2/3 innings, Johnson will likely be a place holder in Los Angeles for Kenyan Middleton or Cam Bedrosian. Johnson has twice saved 50 or more games (2012 and 2013) and did have a 3.06 ERA and 1.19 WHIP for the Braves in 2016, so there is a chance that Johnson does get an extended look as the closer. While Johnson could just be a safe option for the Angels, there are signs that he is fading quickly, mainly shown by the fact that he only had a 48.5% ground ball rate in 2017, down from a 57.2% career average. His soft hit ball percentage was up to 26.6% last season (the second-best of his career), but this was only the second full season where Johnson's GB/FB ratio was not over 2 (1.59). If Johnson is not inducing ground balls, he cannot be effective, keeping him from saves in Los Angeles.
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