Red Sox sign first-round pick Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson (University of Florida)

Jim Callis of Baseball America is reporting that the Red Sox have signed the second of their two first-round picks, left-handed pitcher Brian Johnson. The 31st overall pick in the draft, Johnson will receive the slot-recommended bonus of $1.575M.

Johnson is with the Lowell Spinners tonight in Troy, NY as they take on the Tri-City Valley Cats, reports Florida Today. The 6-foot-3, 235 pound lefty threw 90.0 innings with the University of Florida, going 8-5 with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP, walking 18 and striking out 73. The Red Sox expect these numbers will improve as Johnson, an excellent two-way player in college, is able to focus exclusively on pitching.

Two of Johnson's fellow Florida hurlers drafted by the Red Sox have also been with Lowell. Third-round pick Austin Maddox is expected to sign for $350K, under the recommended $400K for the slot, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com, and his deal should be finalized soon. Greg Larson, the club's 20th-round selection, officially signed on Monday.

Using these figures, the club has spent roughly $7,046,000 on their 11 picks in the first ten rounds. This is slightly over the $6,884,800 cap the Red Sox had to spend, but by staying within $344,240 of that cap, the team will not have to forfeit a draft pick in 2013. They now have about $183,000 left over to spend on draft picks outside of those first ten rounds.

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