Season Summary for Jason Johnson:

Johnson represented high hopes for the Orioles after a disappointing 2000. His improved mechanics and new insulin routine both debuted in Spring Training, and he pitched the best he had since his closing of the 1999 season with three wins in his last three starts.

During the "good part" of the Orioles season (their near-.500 record through May), Johnson was quite solid, managing a 4-3 record and pitching to a 3.53 ERA. By the time June ended, he was still solid. In July, he was better than solid (3-1, 1.91). Then the roof fell in.

In a tale of two seasons, His 3.22 ERA before the All-Star break ballooned to a 5.23 afterward. The chief culprit? Walks. Johnson walked as many batters in the last 10 weeks of the season as he had in the previous 20. His WHIP was nearly 2.00 from August 1 forward.

So, overall, one looks at his numbers and sees a workmanlike effort, and a near break-even record to show for it. In reality, the Orioles had a pitcher who was No. 2 starter material in one half, and a borderline ML pitcher in the second half. As the O's have often asked of themselves concerning Johnson, which pitcher is he?

Well, he's both. Johnson's size (6'6") makes him susceptible to problems with mechanics, and when Johnson loses his release point, that unhittable four-seamer fastball becomes anything but.

Johnson was a workhorse in 2001, but obviously faded down the stretch. It may be that his diabetic condition contributed to his wearing down, as he threw nearly twice the innings he had ever thrown in the majors.

In 2002, the Orioles count on Johnson to move up one more notch. At 28, it's not too late for him to do so, but a repeat of 2001 is probably more likely. At this writing, Johnson is known to be trade bait.

To Contribute Positively to the Orioles Next Season, Johnson must:

(1.) Reharness his mechanics in the spring. With all the pitchers the Orioles will be looking at, it's imperative that he get off to a productive start.

(2.) Simply cut down on his walks. Johnson will probably always give up a lot of hits; he can't afford to compound this by walking a lot of batters.

(3.) Cut down on his number of pitches (see #2). Johnson only pitched into the sixth, on average, but threw over 100 pitches per outing. He needs to get less out of more.

(4.) Stop feeding his gopher. Johnson really can't give up 28 homers and 77 walks and not expect bad things to happen.

Notes: One of the few Orioles pitchers who weren't allergic to the Devil Rays (2-1, 3.28.) Allowed 10 baserunners in 2.2 innings against Detroit. Opposing teams hit .305 off of him, with a .378 OPP and a .463 slugging percentage, after the sixth inning. Go after Johnson's first pitch: .316 BA, .579 Slugging percentage and seven homers allowed with an 0-0 count. Opposing hitters batting averages crept up steadily as games went along, from .216 in the first inning, to .263 after 60 pitches, to .302 after 70 pitches, to .371 over 100.