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Mahoning Valley Scrappers pitcher David Johnson described himself as "a little bit of a nerd," in that he is the creative type.
He enjoys dabbling in artwork. He's "very into movies and comic books." Legos were a big part of his youth. He especially enjoyed the challenge of producing Lego creations without instructions.
"I just wanted to challenge myself, I wanted to stimulate my brain and see if I could build something without help," Johnson said. "My parents always told me that I was hands-on. I was always touching things, always trying to figure things out with my hands."
From a baseball standpoint, Johnson discovered that a bat in his hands wasn't exactly a recipe for a bright baseball future. In high school Johnson was a two-way player. When he wasn't pitching, he played shortstop at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
"I was more of a position player in high school, but I couldn't swing the bat and I wasn't getting any (college) offers," Johnson said. "I was throwing the ball hard, but other pitchers were throwing just as hard and I couldn't keep up from an offensive standpoint.
"I put the bat down, picked up a ball and decided that pitching was my future."
Near the end of his senior year in high school, Johnson said he began studying "the art of pitching." It led him to a college career at Middle Georgia State University, where he studied sports management. After using up his college athletic eligibility earlier this summer, Johnson joined the Scrappers in late July.
"By the time I entered college, I had the velocity," Johnson said. "I could throw, but I still had to learn how to pitch. Watching baseball is the best way to learn the game, so I began to study pitchers. I began to learn the technical side of pitching - how to pitch to certain swings, what pitches to throw in certain counts.
"Even today, if I'm not on the mound, I'm paying close attention to our pitchers. I firmly believe that pitching is something that you can only master if you allow yourself to continuously learn."
Johnson said he also uses modern-day technology to better his game - to a degree. The MLB Draft League records key data points for every pitch thrown in every game, including release velocity, spin rate, horizontal and vertical movement, three-dimensional plate location, release point coordinates and pitcher extension down the mound.
Johnson said the overwhelming numbers behind baseball analytics can be both a benefit and a bit of a hindrance.
"On the days I'm not pitching, I need to know it all, I want those numbers and I want to study the data," Johnson said. "You have to be crazy not to want to take advantage of any information that might help your career.
"But when I'm pitching, I don't want to hear any of that stuff. It drives me crazy. I just want to go out and pitch, go out and do what feels right in the moment."
Johnson said he quickly adapted to his new surroundings, and "is living out a dream" by spending part of his summer at 7 17 Credit Union Field.
"Every day when I come out on the field, I see those kids lined up along the fence and I see myself in those kids," Johnson said. "Back home, I always used to go to minor league games. I'd be along that fence, hollering and chirping and asking for balls and autographs. I remember being that age and viewing those players as my heroes on the field.
"Now I'm on the flipside of that equation. I wanted to do this my whole life. I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity. I'm not sure where it will take me, but just being here gives me the chance to live out a dream."
Johnson will have one more week to enjoy his time at 7 17 Credit Union Field this summer. Following a three-game series at Aberdeen, the Scrappers will return home on Sunday to begin a six-game homestand - their final six home games of the 2026 season.
TUESDAY'S GAME
Mahoning Valley Scrappers third baseman Maddox Mihalakis has been an offensive force since the start of the MLB Draft League's second half of the season.
Through 35 games, Mihalakis leads the team in hits (41), triples (4) and home runs (7). He not only leads the team in RBIs (38), but on Tuesday Mihalakis tied a Draft League second-half RBI record, putting his name next to Mason Sykes (2023) and Chang-Yong Lee (2024).
Ironically, both Sykes and Lee also played for the Scrappers.
Mihalakis' early heroics spearheaded a Scrappers 5-0 win over West Virginia in front of 1,440 fans at 7 17 Credit Union Field.
Entering the game one RBI behind the second-half record, Mihalakis wasted no time pulling even with Sykes and Lee. Leading off the bottom of the first inning, Mihalakis watched the first two pitches sail out of the strike zone before his first swing of the night resulted in a 430-foot blast over the right-field wall.
The Scrappers extended their lead to 2-0 in the second inning. Julian Hernandez reached on a one-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, then scored on a Kaikea Harrison base hit.
In the fifth, Davis Mauzy gave the Scrappers a 3-0 lead when he belted a solo home run to left field.
Hernandez extended the Scrappers lead to 4-0 in the sixth. Hernandez doubled in Mike Young, who was at third base courtesy of a triple.
Kaikea Harrison led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, then scored on the play on a three-base fielding error to cap the scoring.
Scrappers starting pitcher Jay Newman took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. With one out in the sixth, West Virginia leadoff hitter Cayden Gaskin lined a sharp single to center field. On the play, Gaskin was thrown out at second base trying to stretch the Black Bears first hit into a double.
Newman worked seven scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while recording four strikeouts.
Scrappers relievers Lynden Bruegman and Justin Abercrombie each worked a perfect inning to close out the night.
The Scrappers begin a three-game series at Aberdeen on Thursday. They return home on Sunday for the start of a six-game homestand - their final six home games of the 2026 season.