If a person walked down the steps to Eddy D. Field Stadium on any given day during the ‘23 spring season, they’d see roughly three out of four Waves strike out, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Every so often, though, somebody makes contact.
This summer, the Houston Astros and the Detroit Tigers drafted former senior catching utility Ryan Johnson and former junior infielder John Peck, respectively.
“It just doesn’t hit you right away,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy.”
Johnson flew out to the Astros training facility in Florida two days later. Following a brief training camp, the Astros will sort him into one of three tiered minor league affiliates, Johnson said.
“They’re two of the hardest workers I’ve seen here the past three years,” said senior pitcher Brandon Llewellyn, “And they’ve earned every bit of it, if not more.”
Peck, Llewellyn said, dominated his position in spite of being under-scouted in high school and facing COVID-19 restrictions during his first year. With the Tigers drafting him in the seventh round, he is the highest-drafted Wave since the Kansas City Royals drafted Pitcher A.J. Puckett in the second round in 2016.
Despite leading the team in runs batted in (37) and home runs (10) in 2022, Johnson did not get drafted as a junior, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“That’s when, as baseball [players], you want to get drafted,” said Johnson’s father, James Johnson.
While Johnson’s primary pursuit throughout college was baseball, it was also important to have a backup plan: his degree in Business Administration, said Johnson’s mother, Heather Johnson.
“You always dream about it. You hope it’s gonna happen,” Johnson said. “You talk to the scouts; you think ‘okay, they like me,’ but you don’t really — like it might not happen.”
A batting average of .289 — a personal best in college — and 18 home runs marked Johnson’s senior year, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“He really set that example for [the] guys,” Llewellyn said, “And really did the best job out of anyone that I’ve been a teammate of here.”
As a professional, Johnson said he has more time to focus on baseball, especially its mental aspect.
“[In college] there’s all these time limits and NCAA rules,” said alumnus Wyatt Young, infielder for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets. “But there’s no rules in pro ball.”
The Mets drafted Young as a junior in 2021. He said, compared to the three games a week for three months college and high school teams play, the five to six games a week for half a year professional ball demands is far more exerting.
“You’re up against the best in the world,” Young said. “So, you better love the process and trying to develop.”
For Young, this means focusing on what he is good at: hitting line drives and getting on base, Young said. However, he said his long-term goal is the same as almost every other player’s: Major League.
Young has a batting average of .209 so far this season, despite batting .270 in ‘22. His league, the Eastern League, had an average of .240 in ’22.
Llewellyn’s junior year didn’t produce the results he was looking for, he said, but he still hopes to play professionally.
“I really haven’t left Pepperdine,” Llewellyn said. “I’ve been in the weight room five days a week since the season ended.”
Llewellyn said he hopes to carry on the culture Peck and Johnson instilled.
“Brandon Llewellyn will pitch again,” Johnson said. “And he’s really good for us.”
Llewellyn said he is entering the ‘24 season excited, but he knows his stats need to improve if he wants a chance at being drafted.
Two weeks ago, Heather and James Johnson visited Johnson at training camp.
“It was a neat moment to be able to share as a family,” James Johnson said. “But then, very quickly realizing that, okay, now you got more work.”
The Athletic, a national sports publication, stated Johnson’s status as a senior makes him a “money-saver.” He cannot reject an offer in favor of another year of school, an option open to juniors, according to previous Graphic reporting.
Professional teams have drafted 191 Pepperdine alumni. 37 Pepperdine alumni have played in the MLB. Only three have played in an MLB All-Star game. Of those three, one of them has had their number retired: Mike Scott ’76. It hangs, steps above the Astros’ scoreboard — above Johnson’s head, should he ever get the chance to play in Minute Maid Park.
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Email Max Pohlenz: maximilian.pohlenz@pepperdine.edu
