Once one of the most promising pitchers in the Cubs organization, Pierce Johnson never quite lived up to the hype in parts of six minor league seasons. His primary struggle was with his health, as nagging injuries forced him to miss time here and there. After bouncing back and forth between the rotation and pen, Johnson was eventually shifted to a full-time relief role with AAA Iowa in late July of 2016.
Though he put up a cumulative 3.24 minor league ERA and racked up 458 strikeouts in 444.1 innings, Johnson walked 205 batters and had a 1.