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Early struggles at USC motivated Tyler Johnson to become a top reliever

Tyler Johnson wasn’t a kid whose life revolved around baseball growing up.

He enjoyed playing, but he didn’t eat, sleep and breathe the sport. Johnson spent a lot of time at the ballpark because he loved it, not because he wanted to earn a scholarship or sign a professional contract one day.

“I was never obsessed with baseball. I just enjoyed doing it. Even in high school, I wasn’t the best at baseball,” Johnson said. “At an early age, I just played because it’s fun. It’s an awesome sport to play.”

That fun was missing during Johnson’s freshman season at South Carolina.