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Howard Johnson
From BR Bullpen
Howard Michael Johnson (HoJo)
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 178 lb.
- School St. Petersburg Community College
- High School Clearwater High School
- Debut April 14, 1982
- Final Game October 1, 1995
- Born November 29, 1960 in Clearwater, FL USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Howard Johnson, who led the 1991 National League in home runs and RBI, was a part of two great teams - the 1984 Tigers who won 104 games, and the 1986 Mets who won 108 games.
Johnson was born in Florida and drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1979 in the first round of the secondary phase. He had started out as a pitcher but was converted to a position player in the minors.
In 1982, Johnson was up in the majors for 155 at-bats, hitting .316 for the Tigers. To start his career, he wore uniform #5, which he was forced to give up in 1983 when it was retired by the team in honor of Hank Greenberg. Johnson then switched to #20. By 1984, he became a semi-regular third baseman (platooning with Tom Brookens) for Detroit en route to a world championship season.
After the 1984 season, the Tigers traded him to the New York Mets, for whom he would play nearly a decade. At first, he and Ray Knight fought for playing time at third base, but Knight became a free agent after the 1986 season.
Johnson came into his own in 1987, getting over 400 at-bats for the first time, and hitting 36 home runs. He repeated the feat in 1989, hitting 36 home runs again, this time good for second in the league, and making the All Star team for the first time. He was also third in the league in doubles.
In 1991 he led the league with 38 home runs and 117 RBI. It was his last season with over 400 at-bats and his last season hitting over .240.
In 1992 and 1994 he was primarily an outfielder, and in 1995 he finished out his major league career with the 1995 Cubs, as the oldest position player on the team. Todd Zeile was the regular third baseman.
Johnson was also a good base-stealer, stealing 231 bases in his career, and making the 30-30 club (steals and homers) three times in his career.
The similarity scores method shows two contemporaries who are on the most-similar list - Doug DeCinces and Dean Palmer.
His son, Glen Johnson, was drafted by the New York Mets in the 36th round of the 2007 amateur draft.
- 2001 Coach Brooklyn Cyclones
- 2002 Manager Brooklyn
- 2003 Coach St. Lucie Mets
- 2004 Coach Binghamton Mets
- 2005-2006 Coach Norfolk Tides
- 2007 1st base coach New York Mets
- 2008-2010 Hitting coach New York Mets
- 2013 Coach Tacoma Rainiers
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2-time NL All-Star (1989 & 1991)
- 2-time NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1989 & 1991)
- NL Runs Scored Leader (1989)
- NL Home Runs Leader (1991)
- NL RBI Leader (1991)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 5 (1987-1991)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1987, 1989 & 1991)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1989 & 1991)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1989 & 1991)
- Won two World Series with the Detroit Tigers in 1984 and the New York Mets in 1986
[edit] Further Reading
- Rick Sorci: "Baseball Profile: Howard Johnson, New York Mets," Baseball Digest (September 1989), p. 35
- Howard Johnson (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget," Baseball Digest (September 1993), pp. 73-74
