Finger snapping and handstands: How an unusual bullpen routine helps Ryan Johnson

TEMPE, ARIZ. — When you watch a pitcher’s bullpen, you usually hear two things, the buzz of the ball and the pop of the catcher’s mitt. But when Ryan Johnson steps on the mound, you’ll hear the buzz of the ball, the pop of the catcher’s mitt and him snapping his fingers.

It may not be every pitch, but Johnson snaps his fingers four times after he finishes his delivery on most pitches.

“Buzz, pop, snap, snap, snap, snap”

He doesn’t just snap for fun and it’s not a nervous tick, it’s positive reinforcement.

“It's called imprinting,” Johnson said. “It's just a way of having an emotional response to a positive outcome, to tell your body to do that action more often. You're ignoring the negatives, and then having a good positive response to the positive outcomes to reinforce it.”

It’s something Johnson learned during his time at Dallas Baptist University and he said the coaches there preached it and wanted the players to figure out what worked for them because everyone is different. 

The finger-snapping isn’t the only peculiar thing that Johnson does in his bullpens. Johnson has a warmup regiment like every other pitcher, but what makes his routine different is that he does handstands in the bullpen before throwing. 

“It's just getting in sync,” Johnson said. “I want to activate everything, get everything primed and ready to go… Specifically the handstands, I'm making sure the shoulder is good and activated and strong and then getting more body awareness and balance points.”

The mental game and his preparedness are things that Johnson emphasizes, and it’s helped translate to success on the mound.

Johnson was selected 74th overall by the Angels in last year’s draft, which was the compensation pick the Angels received for losing Shohei Ohtani to free agency. He has a funky delivery because he side steps instead of the traditional leg kick when going through his windup and he releases the ball from a lower arm slot. His fastball sits low-to-mid 90s and he has a wipeout slider that misses bats. 

Above all, Johnson throws strikes. In his final season in college, Johnson struck out 151 batters and only walked 14 in 106 innings pitched. That’s a 10.79 strikeouts per walk ratio, where the MLB average last season was 2.76.

Johnson didn’t appear in any minor league games after he was drafted last season, so this spring training is his first taste of professional baseball. He only has three innings pitched in Cactus League games and has only allowed one baserunner, and the Angels like what they’ve seen. 

“It's hard to judge him on just three outings out there, and it's hard to judge him when he's not facing big boys but his stuff is great,” manager Ron Washington said. “He's got a great demeanor and he attacks the zone. We just got to let him continue to pitch and grow.”

Having your first experience of professional baseball come in spring training can be tough, which is why the mental game is so important to Johnson. Having fun, not making the moment bigger than it is and just playing the game are the things that Johnson has been keeping at the front of his mind this spring. He’s also focused on learning from the guys around him.

“Just being able to relax and just take in the guys around you,” Johnson said about what he’s learned this spring. “How to really observe and watch what everyone else is doing. Figuring out what works for them and just being able to pay attention.”

As a non-roster invite to spring training, it’s a long shot that Johnson makes the Opening Day roster, especially with no prior professional experience. When talking about goals, Johnson couldn’t care less where he plays, he just wants to do his job.

“It's just to show up to the field every day and put your work in,” Johnson said. “You're not focused about anything else, about what level you're playing, what team. Just playing the game. Don't make it bigger than it is. That's not my role. My job is just to come in and get outs.”