Everything you need to know about Marlins 2nd-round draft pick Osiris Johnson

Fish Stripes analysis on the entire 2018 Marlins draft class will be updated during and after the draft.

On Monday night, the Marlins selected Osiris Johnson in the second round with the No. 53 overall pick.

School: Encinal HS (CA)

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 181 lb.

Position(s): SS

Twitter handle? Don’t think so.

Prospect ranking entering the draft (based on composite rankings): No. 67

No. 13 slot value (out of Marlins $8,658,400 total): $1,318,500

Scouting Report (via MLB Pipeline)

Back in 1989, Marcel Johnson was a 22nd-round Draft pick of the Mets who went on to play parts of three seasons in pro ball. Nearly two decades later, it’s his son’s turn, and there is little doubt the NorCal prep infielder, who is also the cousin of both Jimmy Rollins and Tony Tarasco, will easily beat his dad, in terms of when he’s selected.

Johnson has a tremendous toolbox to work with and they were sharpening as the spring wore on. The right-handed hitter managed just a .218 average as a freshman, but has improved markedly since then, showing the ability to impact the baseball consistently. The better he’s gotten at getting the barrel to the ball, the more his raw power is showing up in games, and he was clearing fences a lot more as the Draft approached. At one point, it seemed like Johnson might need to move to an outfield corner, but his defense has improved to the point where most see him staying on the dirt. Some might even send him out as a shortstop, with moves to third or second a possibility as well.

Committed to Cal State Fullerton, Johnson is the kind of toolsy player that can be polarizing, with some buzz about him going as high as the end of the second round along with some teams viewing him more as a fifth or sixth-round pick.

Game Highlights (h/t 2080 Baseball)

Marlins Press Release

Courtesy of Marlins Communications