- Ole Miss’ Cooper Johnson (13) bats against New Orleans at Oxford-University Stadium in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Ole Miss won 9-4 to improve to 20-2. (Bruce Newman, Oxford Eagle via AP)
Cooper Johnson signs with Detroit Tigers
Former Ole Miss catcher Cooper Johnson didn’t waste any time getting his money.
The sixth-round pick by the Detroit Tigers, Johnson signed with the team on Monday, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis. Johnson signed for every bit of his projected slot value, earning a $291,400 signing bonus to enter the Tigers organization.
Having always been a great defensive catcher in his time at Ole Miss, Johnson’s improvements behind the plate lead him to be drafted as high as he was. As a Rebel freshman, Johnson hit just .213. As a sophomore, he hit .235 with a .329 on-base percentage. But he made a big leap into his junior campaign, hitting .271 with an on-base percentage of .371.
His leaps offensively came with a bit of power, as the junior hit eight home runs in his final Ole Miss season. Johnson was named All-SEC Second Team for his play in 2019, as well as being named the All-SEC defensive team catcher.
Detroit’s short-season minor league team, the Connecticut Tigers, plays in the same league as the Tri-City ValleyCats, the Astros associate Grae Kessinger will be playing for over the summer.
Ole Miss soccer releases 2019 schedule
The 2018 Ole Miss soccer campaign capped one of the most successful runs in program history, making the NCAA Tournament... read more