Johnson caps whirlwind week by winning Olerud Award; back off to minors on Sunday
Sunday, July 1, 2012 | Baseball, Cross Country, Scott Carter
HIs days as a hitter appear over, but Brian Johnson's two-way abilities earned him a big award on Saturday night.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Boston Red Sox signed first-round pick Brian Johnson to only pitch.
That didn't stop Johnson from spending Saturday night as a two-way player for maybe the final time. Johnson was honored here at the College Baseball Night of Champions as the nation's best two-way player.
And who presented Johnson with the John Olerud Award? None other than the best two-way player in Florida history: Brad Wilkerson.
Wilkerson became the first Gator to be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday. The award capped a whirlwind week for Johnson, a starting pitcher/first baseman/designated hitter for Florida the past three seasons.
"It means a lot," Johnson said. "The past two years I've been a finalist. Then this year I made the final three and then won it. I took a lot of pride in [being a two-way player]. People my whole life always told me, 'at the next level you are going to have to pick one. At the next level you are going to have to pick one.'
"Someone told me out of high school that you are just going to Florida to be a pitcher. You want to prove people wrong with the odds against you. It was an awesome experience to be able to both. I'm thankful to Coach O'Sullivan and his staff for letting me do both."
Johnson signed with the Red Sox a week ago and has already been assigned to Lowell of the Class A New York-Penn League. One of his teammates is Greg Larson, who also signed with the Red Sox a few days after Florida was ousted from the College World Series.
Johnson hasn't made his professional debut yet but expects to soon. He joined Lowell this week and immediately departed for a three-game series at Albany (N.Y.), then drove with the team to Burlington (Vt.) for a weekend series.
Johnson flew to Texas on Friday and will rejoin the Spinners on Sunday.
Welcome to professional baseball.
"You grow up dreaming about it and dreaming about it, and it's kind of happening," Johnson said. "You've just got to keep working hard, don't get caught up in the moment, and doing what got what you here."
As part of earning the award, Johnson spoke to former major leaguer John Olerud. Johnson hung up the phone feeling like a smarter ballplayer.
"It's probably one of the best conversations I've had my whole life,'' Johnson said. "He gave great pieces of advice, talked about how he gripped the change-up and how he started doing both [positions] and how hitting took over eventually."
