Chris Johnson (baseball)

Christopher Dalton Johnson (born October 1, 1984) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and Miami Marlins.

Chris Johnson
Johnson with the Miami Marlins
Third baseman
Born: (1984-10-01) October 1, 1984
Naples, Florida
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 9, 2009, for the Houston Astros
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 2016, for the Miami Marlins
MLB statistics
Batting average.275
Home runs63
Runs batted in339
Teams

Amateur career

Johnson was drafted in the 37th round by the Boston Red Sox in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, but he opted for college. He attended Stetson University, where he led the Hatters to the 2005 and 2006 Atlantic Sun Tournament Championships.[1] In 2005, he was named the A-Sun Freshman of the Year, and played collegiate summer baseball for the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] Johnson was drafted by the Houston Astros in the fourth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.

Professional career
Johnson playing for the Houston Astros in 2011

Houston Astros

Johnson was called up to the majors for the first time on September 7, 2009[3] and made his major league debut two days later.[4]

In the 2010 season, Johnson batted .308 with 105 hits, 22 doubles, 11 home runs, and 52 RBIs in just 341 at bats.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Johnson was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 29, 2012, for Bobby Borchering and Marc Krauss.[5] In his first game as a Diamondback, Johnson hit a grand slam. He became the first Diamondback player to hit a grand slam in their first game with the club.[6]

After qualifying as a Super Two, giving him an extra year of arbitration eligibility, Johnson signed a one-year, $2.2875 million deal with the Diamondbacks for the 2013 season.[7]

Atlanta Braves
Johnson during his tenure with the Atlanta Braves in 2013

After the 2012 season, the Diamondbacks traded Johnson and Justin Upton to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Martín Prado, Randall Delgado, Nick Ahmed, Zeke Spruill and Brandon Drury.[8] He enjoyed a breakout season, hitting .321, with 12 home runs and 68 RBIs. In the NL batting race, Johnson finished second to Michael Cuddyer.

Johnson signed a three-year extension worth $23.5 million on May 2, 2014. The deal includes a team option worth $10 million.[9] He regressed in 2014, while attempting to hit for more power. Johnson set a career high in strikeouts, and his walk rate fell.[10]

After continuing to decline in 2015, Johnson lost his starting role to Juan Uribe, who the Braves acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers during the season. Johnson was pushed into a reserve role, often starting only against left handed pitchers. After Freddie Freeman suffered a wrist injury, Johnson occasionally started at first base, but still saw less playing time than in past seasons. Johnson expressed an interest in being traded at the trade deadline, in the hope of getting more playing time with another team. However, it was Uribe who was traded near the deadline. In addition, Freeman returned from the disabled list and Johnson was expected to regain his starting role at third base.[11][12]

Cleveland Indians

On August 7, 2015, Johnson was traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, and cash considerations.[13] Johnson appeared in 27 games with the Indians, batting .289 with four doubles, one home run, and seven RBIs.

On December 22, 2015, the Indians released him.[14]

Miami Marlins

On January 13, 2016, Johnson signed a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins.[15]

Baltimore Orioles

On February 13, 2017, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, that included an invitation to major league spring training.[16] He was released on March 27[17] but re-signed a couple of days later.[18] He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Chicago White Sox

On January 24, 2019, Johnson signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.[19] He was released on March 20, 2019.

Personal life

Johnson is the son of former MLB player and coach Ron Johnson.[20][21]

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See also

References
  1. "Chris Johnson Recalled by Astros". Stetson University Athletics. June 12, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  2. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  3. McTaggert, Brian (September 7, 2009). "Prospects to experience life in Majors". MLB.com. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  4. Bowman, Mark (June 13, 2014). "Even if apart, Johnson and father bond over baseball". MLB.com. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  5. The Associated Press. "Houston Astros trade their third baseman for two Mobile BayBears". al.com. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  6. "Chris Johnson hits grand slam in D-backs debut, leads rout of Dodgers". ESPN.com. July 30, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  7. McLennan, Jim (January 18, 2013). "Chris Johnson Avoids Arbitration, Signs With Diamondbacks @ $2.3m". AZ Snake Pit.
  8. Bowman, Mark (January 24, 2013). "Braves acquire coveted outfielder J. Upton". MLB.com. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  9. "Chris Johnson, Braves agree on deal". ESPN.com. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  10. Bowman, Mark (August 27, 2014). "Johnson gets break amid hitting woes". MLB.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  11. Bowman, Mark (April 30, 2015). "C. Johnson goes on DL with broken left hand". Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  12. Bowman, Mark (July 20, 2015). "Chris Johnson hopes for trade from Braves". MLB.com. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  13. Lewis, Ryan (August 7, 2015). "Indians trade Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and cash to Atlanta Braves for Chris Johnson". Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  14. Bastian, Jordan (December 22, 2015). "Tribe lands another lefty with Detwiler signing". MLB.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  15. Frisaro, Joe (January 13, 2016). "Marlins sign INF Johnson, RHP Jackson". MLB.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  16. Adams, Steve (February 13, 2017). "Orioles Sign Chris Johnson To Minor League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  17. Todd, Jeff (March 27, 2017). "Orioles Release Michael Bourn, Chris Johnson". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  18. Church, Christopher (March 29, 2017). "Baltimore Orioles: Chris Johnson returns on minor league contract". Baltimore Wire. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  19. "Jon Becker on Twitter".
  20. "Johnson neatly fills 3B spot for Braves". Associated Press. ESPN.com. February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  21. Gonzalez, Alden (March 16, 2010). "Johnson father and son share experience". MLB.com. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
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