This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
DENVER -- Last week, relief pitcher Pierce Johnson had to send an awkward text to Paul Faust, whom he met years ago as his teacher and trainer and who has grown into a mentor and friend.
The two had lunch plans, but Johnson had to cancel. What seemed like yet another missed opportunity for the reliever and his former trainer to catch up, however, turned out to be a good thing.
“He said, ‘Hey, man, I’ve got good news and bad news,’” Faust recalled. “He said, ‘The bad news is I’m not going to be able to have lunch. … But the good news is I’ve got to go to my physical for the Rockies -- I just signed.’”
Johnson was an eighth-grader at Faith Christian Academy in Arvada, Colo., when Faust -- his Bible teacher -- began training him to pitch. It worked out well, except for the fact that Faust never seemed to be able to catch his protégé in action.
Over his Major League career, Johnson made many trips to Denver -- as a member of the Cubs (2017), Giants ('18) and Padres (2020-22) -- but Faust never saw him pitch in a game. And because Johnson pitched at Missouri Western during his college career, Faust has not seen him in game action since his senior year of high school. But they've stayed in contact during offseasons, and last Wednesday seemed like a prime chance to catch up until that text arrived, announcing that Johnson would be returning to his hometown as a pro ballplayer.
His homecoming won't be without challenges, though.
The Rockies are coming off a last-place National League West finish in 2022 (68-94). Meanwhile, the Dodgers and Giants keep making offseason news, and the D-backs’ prospect depth is ahead of what Colorado is building. Yet adding Johnson, 31, on a one-year deal is part of the Rockies’ effort to build a bullpen worthy of a contender, just in case.
If it all works out, the club has Faust, at least partly, to thank.
Johnson posted a 3.39 ERA and a 117 ERA+ (17 percent above league average) over his three seasons with the Padres. The righty was sidelined from late April to early September in 2022 while dealing with right elbow tendinitis, but he recovered in time to post three scoreless postseason appearances.
Before establishing himself with the Padres, Johnson made one appearance with the Cubs in 2017 and had a 5.56 ERA in 37 games with the Giants in ’18. To reinvigorate his career, Johnson joined the Hanshin Tigers in Japan in ’19.
“I changed my mindset to, like, I’m going to do it how I want to do it,” said Johnson, who posted a 1.38 ERA in 58 appearances in Japan. “Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to learn and I’m still learning to this day. But knowing my strengths and not staying away from them led to my success.”
Even in an abbreviated 2022, advanced numbers show Johnson’s key attributes. His fastball velocity was in the league's 71st percentile, which works well in late-game situations. His key pitch, though, is a curveball with a spin rate in the 92nd percentile and that features a 30.1 percent whiff rate -- a stat especially important to a Rockies staff that’s trying to increase the swing-and-miss profile out of the bullpen. In 2020, batters whiffed at Johnson's curve 48.1 percent of the time.
And Faust, who still lives in the area as assistant campus pastor and associate dean of spiritual foundation at Colorado Christian University, was there from the beginning. Johnson and his father, Don Johnson -- who worked as the Padres’ vice president of marketing from 1992-98, but later moved back to the Denver area -- came to Faust for lessons. Johnson was one of his first clients. The three of them tooled around the area for places to practice.
It was worth the search.
“The slider-curve sort of thing that he’s adjusted over time, I said, ‘Here’s how you grip it,’” Faust said. “And he threw it the first time. Both his dad and I were like, ‘Oh, my goodness. That’s a killer.’”
Due to his dad’s job and simply being in Denver, Johnson was always wearing gear from either the Padres or the Rockies. One of his fondest memories, despite the result, was attending Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, when Aaron Cook pitched solidly for the Rockies, but the Red Sox completed a sweep.
Johnson became more than a baseball fan, though.
The coaches at Faith Christian would join the players during conditioning. Faust recalls Johnson being “50-100 yards ahead of everybody.” While the pitcher would eventually leave his other sports -- hockey and soccer -- to quietly pursue his dream, Faust pushed him to speak in front of the team and develop his leadership skills.
Johnson has grown in college and pro ball, and he comes back home as living proof that one can thrive in the mile-high atmosphere with a breaking pitch. He also feels at home with the Rockies, in many levels.
Colorado closer Daniel Bard and righty Tyler Kinley, who is due back at midseason after right elbow flexor tendon surgery, are former Minor League teammates with whom Johnson has texted. He sings the praises of Kris Bryant, who is also trying to bounce back from injuries in 2022.
Oddly, Johnson doesn't know two other Denver natives on the team -- starting pitcher Kyle Freeland, who pitched for the University of Evansville and faced Johnson in college, and lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath, who pitched at Legacy High in Broomfield. But he knows exactly what those guys bring to the table.
“A lot of teams have a hard time coming to Colorado and having success. The Rockies have an incredible home record,” Johnson said. “As long as we get some runs across, our starting rotation -- our top three -- are pretty nasty.
“Then we’ve got Bard in the back of the 'pen. He’s a leader and one of the elite, and some of our other guys can be a bridge to him. It’s a recipe for success.”