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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 younger brother, Ron, was an NFL running back, notably for the New York Giants.

Early years

Johnson was born in Helena, Arkansas, but grew up in Detroit, Michigan with his two brothers and sisters. He attended Northwestern High School, where he excelled as an offensive lineman for the school's football team. He received a football scholarship to Michigan State University, but opted to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies instead.[1]

Philadelphia Phillies

Johnson worked his way up the ranks quickly in the Phillies' farm system, batting .322 with forty home runs and 187 runs batted in (RBIs) across 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]

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, Johnson, 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 receive a demotion down to the Tulsa Oilers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL). That year, he was named the "most dangerous hitter" in the PCL.[6]

Johnson 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.[1]

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.[7] 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 suitable for the Reds' line-up.[8]

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.[1]

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.[1]

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.[9]

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.[10] 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 0.004 over Yastrzemski.[11][12]

Johnson became the subject of some controversy toward the end of his first season in California when he was fined by Angels manager Lefty Phillips for not running out a grounder. This continued into the following Spring when Phillips fined Johnson $100 for loafing in an exhibition game. The following day, Phillips removed Johnson from a second exhibition when he failed to run out a first inning grounder.[13]

This continued into the 1971 regular season as Johnson was benched three times in the month of May for indifferent play. On June 4, he was pulled in the first inning of a 10-1 loss to the Red Sox when he failed to run all the way to first base on a routine ground ball.[14] After being replaced by Tony González in left over the next week, Johnson intimated that some of his battles with teammates and management were racially motivated.[15]

Hell yes, I'm bitter. I've been bitter ever since I learned I was black. The society into which I was born and in which I grew up and in which I play ball today is anti-black. My attitude is nothing more than a reaction of their attitude.

On June 25, the Angels benched Johnson for not running out a ground ball in the ninth inning of the previous night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. When Johnson claimed that he needed to get out of California, and that "playing in hell" would be an improvement, the Angels suspended him indefinitely. After a thirty day suspension, the longest the Angels could give, Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn placed Johnson on the restricted list, continuing the suspension.[1]

Marvin Miller, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, filed a grievance on Johnson's behalf, suggesting that Johnson was emotionally disabled. Arbitrator Lewis Gill found for Johnson, based on the findings of two psychiatrists, and deceptions about Johnson perpetrated by Dick Walsh.[1]

Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers

The Angels traded Johnson with Jerry Moses for Frank Baker, Vada Pinson, and Alan Foster after the 1971 season. Johnson slumped during the 1972 season.[1] Before the 1973 season, the Indians traded Johnson to the Texas Rangers for Rich Hinton and Vince Colbert.[1] With the American League debuting the designated hitter role, Johnson was able to provide strong offensive production for the Rangers, as his 179 hits were a franchise record, without his defensive shortcomings impacting the team.[1]

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.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mark Armour. "Alex Johnson". 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. ^ a b "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)
  7. ^ Dave O'Hara (March 12, 1968). "Yastrzemski Can Expect Rough Treatment From His Rivals". Kentucky New Era.
  8. ^ A.J. Friedman (April 7, 1968). "Redlegs' Watchword: Stay In One Piece". Toledo Blade.
  9. ^ "Reds Trade Johnson, Ruiz To Angels". The Bryan Times. November 26, 1969.
  10. ^ "1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com. July 14, 1970). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1012168/index.htm
  12. ^ "California Angels 5, Chicago White Sox 4". Baseball-Reference.com. October 1, 1970). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Phillips Benches Alex Johnson". The Rock Hill Herald. March 22, 1971.
  14. ^ Larry Eldridge (June 5, 1971). "Alex Johnson Benched by California Skipper". Waycross Journal-Herald.
  15. ^ "Racial Issue Flares With Johnson". Gadsden Times. June 13, 1971). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (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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