This evening highly regarded pitching prospect Tanner Johnson will make his professional debut before family and friends when the Boise Hawks host the Phoenix Lights at Basque Block Field. Since the Portland Beavers signed the first pick in the recent ABL first year player draft for a $5.5 million signing bonus, the mood in Boise and surrounding areas has been electric. Everyone is excited!
Johnson, a Boise native, learned the fundamentals and blossomed as a pitcher while progressing through Little League and high school. He also gained experience pitching in several, competitive summer leagues. Most recently he completed his final year pitching for Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Following is a photo taken of him pitching for a local American Legion team:
Tonight he returns home to take the next step in his career while pitching before thousands of family members, coaches, and friends who have played a part in molding him into the phenomenal, talented individual he is today.
Tanner, a 6' 10" southpaw, features electric stuff that includes a fastball that tops out at 98 miles per hour, a curveball, a changeup, and - to keep batters totally off-balance - a knuckleball. His skills appear to be nearly developed enough for him to pitch in the bigs, but the Portland front office brain trust plan to do their best to resist the temptation to rush him.
The current plan is for Johnson to start tonight and then again on Sunday when the Hawks host the Wichita Wolverines. At that point the coaching staff will assess his skill level. Hopefully Tanner will have demonstrated that he is ready for promotion to the Vancouver Canadians. After he gains experience and performs well at the AAA level, he should then be ready to ply his skills at the major league level. If all goes well, he could see action in a Beavers uniform sooner rather than later.
Join the excitement tonight at Basque Block Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm local time. Don't be late.
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