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Alex Johnson

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Alex Johnson
Left fielder
Born: (1942-12-07) December 7, 1942 (age 81)
Helena, Arkansas
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
debut
July 25, 1964, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last appearance
October 1, 1976, for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics
Batting average.288
Home runs78
Runs batted in525
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Alexander Johnson (born December 7, 1942) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who won the American League Batting Championship in 1970. His brother, Ron, was an NFL running back, notably for the New York Giants.

Early years

While born in Helena, Arkansas, Johnson grew up in Detroit Michigan. He received a football scholarship to Michigan State University as an offensive lineman with the Northwestern High School Colts, but opted to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies instead.[1]

He worked his way up the ranks quickly in the Phillies' farm system, batting .322 with forty home runs and 187 runs batted in in two seasons to earn a spot on the Phillies' bench for the start of the 1964 season. However, he was optioned back to the Arkansas Travelers of the Pacific Coast League without having logged a major league at-bat when the Phillies acquired relief pitcher Ed Roebuck from the Washington Senators shortly after the season started.[2]

Philadelphia Phillies

Johnson soon earned a call back up to the majors as he batted .316 with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs in just over half a season in Little Falls. In his major legue debut, Johnson went three-for-four with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored.[3] He remained hot for his first month in the majors, batting .400 with one home run and nine RBIs through August. He eventually settled into a lefty-righty platoon with Wes Covington in left field, which he would do through the 1965 season. After which, he, Pat Corrales and Art Mahaffey were dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bill White, Dick Groat and Bob Uecker.[4]

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cards shifted Hall of Famer Lou Brock to right field to make room for Johnson in left. Along with Curt Flood in center, they boasted one of the top young outfields in the National League heading into the 1966 season.[5] It was not to be, however, as Johnson batted just .186 with two home runs and six RBIs through May 17 to earn a demotion down to the triple A Tulsa Oilers. He returned to the Cardinals in 1967, batting .223 with one home run and twelve RBIs mostly as a pinch hitter and back up for Roger Maris in right field. The Cardinals defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series that year, however, Johnson did not appear in the post-season. Just before Spring training 1968, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Dick Simpson.

Cincinnati Reds

Pete Rose, the left fielder in Cincinnati in 1967, was shifted to right for 1968. Mack Jones, a left-handed hitter acquired from the Atlanta Braves shortly before Johnson, was the early on favorite to inherit the left field job.[6] Johnson had already been labelled as "moody" and "uncoachable" during his days with the Phillies and Cardinals, however, he impressed Reds manager Dave Bristol that Spring to the point where he was given the starting job in left regardless of the fact that a lefty bat would have been more friendly to the Reds' line-up.[7]

Johnson also earned a reputation as a notoriously slow starter by the time he joined the Reds, and was batting .259 with four RBIs through April. He turned it around in May, batting .366 to move into the National League batting race. He finished the season at .312, fourth place behind Rose and two of the Alou brothers (Matty & Felipe), to be named the Sporting News' National League Comeback Player of the Year.

Though his potential to hit for power was recognized throughout his early career, he entered the 1969 season having hit just seventeen career home runs. He changed all that in 1969, matching his career total, while also driving in a career high 88 runs and scoring a career high 86 runs. He also finished sixth in the N.L. with a .315 batting average.

Despite his hitting prowess, Johnson was something of a defensive liability as he led National League outfielders in errors both seasons in Cincinnati. In need of pitching, and with hot outfield prospect Bernie Carbo ready to make a jump to the majors, the Reds dealt Johnson and utility infielder Chico Ruiz to the California Angels for pitchers Jim McGlothlin, Pedro Borbon and Vern Geishert.[8]

California Angels

Johnson hit the ground running in California, leading the league with a .366 batting average through May. He cooled off considerably as the 1970 season progress, but still went into the All-Star break at .328 to earn selection to the A.L. squad.[9] He remained in the batting race throughout the season, and went into the final game of the season .002 points behind Boston's Carl Yastrzemski. Johnson went two-for-three to win the A.L. batting title by a fraction of a percentage point over Yastrzemski.[10]

Retirement

After Johnson retired he lived in Detroit and took over Johnson Trucking Service, which was founded by his father, Arthur Johnson, in the 1940s.[11]

See also

Sources

  1. ^ Mark Armour. "Alex Johnson". SABR (Society for American Baseball Research).
  2. ^ "Senators Sell Ed Roebuck to Phillies". Pittsburgh Press. April 21, 1964). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals 10, Philadelphia Phillies 9". Baseball-Reference.com. July 25, 1964). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "White, Groat Dealt". St. Petersburg Times. October 28, 1965). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Cards Place Accent On Speed, Youth". Rochester Sentinel. March 23, 1966). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Dave O'Hara (March 12, 1968). "Yastrzemski Can Expect Rough Treatment From His Rivals". Kentucky New Era.
  7. ^ A.J. Friedman (April 7, 1968). "Redlegs' Watchword: Stay In One Piece". Toledo Blade.
  8. ^ "Reds Trade Johnson, Ruiz To Angels". The Bryan Times. November 26, 1969.
  9. ^ "1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com. July 14, 1970). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "California Angels 5, Chicago White Sox 4". Baseball-Reference.com. October 1, 1970). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Alex Johnson's Bitterness Toward Baseball Still Evident 19 Years After the Angels Suspended Their Only Batting Champion for Lacking Effort". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1990-06-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
Preceded by NL Comeback Player of the Year
1968 		Succeeded by
Preceded by American League Batting Champion
1970 		Succeeded by

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